Inescapable Fates: Memories of a Shopkeeper
by Thewackness135
Summary: Naruto was a strange lad. A strange lad with even stranger dreams. Dreams where him and others fought while the world hung in the balance. A dream that he could never remember. A strange lad with even stranger origins, washing up on the riverside of the settlement of Southtown, his only belonging a roughed up headband, his only memory of his name. Naruto
1. Chapter 1

_AN: Welcome back my people! This is the first of the three sample chapters I'm doing to decide which of my two story ideas live, and which DIES! Or at least wouldn't get updated as frequently as the others. It has become too close to call so I decided I would write 3 chapters for both stories and whichever gained the most attention within a certain time period would be the one I continued alongside A Will of Fire, A Heart of A Hero. The time period would end three days after the final third chapter for each story is uploaded here. The winner gets uploaded in tandem with my main Story, A will of Fire, A Heart of A Hero._

 _For those who asked for a Naruto/Nowi pairing….. I'm a bit iffy on it, I know that she has lived centuries since she is a Manakete, but the fact of the matter is….She looks like a little girl. It makes me…uncomfortable to write that for his pairing. I can be convinced to do it, but it is going to have to be one hell of an argument to convince me._

 _Speaking of pairings, I've always felt kind of bad about how Cordelia went through unrequited love and Chrom wasn't even available to her marriage options._

 _Naruto will have a class, maybe a hybrid between Assassin and Tactician. Skills from both classes may be present. I've taken to calling him a 'Tactssassin'._

 _Because let's face it, Lethality is the most badass skill in the game next to Vengeance._

 _P.S. I'm man enough to admit that the end of Sword Art Online 2 made me cry a little. The Feelz were real, THE FEELZ WERE REAL DAMNIT!_

 _YUUKI WHYYYYYY!_

Fonts:

Regular text- speech, etc.

 **Bold: Important, Tomes being used, loud yelling, and Beings of power**

 _Italics: Thoughts, flashbacks, dreams._

Underlined: Serious.

 **Bold Underlined: Kurama**

 **Disclaimer: Thewackness135 does not own either Naruto or Fire Emblem: Awakening; if I did however, I would have made the ending focus more on reuniting with people if you made THE RIGHT choice.**

 **STORY START!**

 **STORY: Inescapable Fates: Memories of a Shopkeeper.**

 **CH.1: Dreams of Misfortune.**

" _CHROM NOW!"_

 _A blue haired male of about 22 years of age charged at his companion's voice, roaring in defiance of what the Dark Grimleal Prophet Validar had told the three of them before. He slashed the sword known as Falchion at Validar, only to have the sword intercepted with dark lightning._

" _UP THERE!" Came the shout of the future Exalt, a cloaked figure jumping out of the way before retaliating._

" _ **THORON!"**_ _A yellow beam of pure thunder raged towards the Grimleal. And as the person fell to the ground, their hood fell off of their head, revealing a woman of around 21 years of age, with spiky snow white hair that fell to her upper chest, wearing a cloak that was primarily black and purple, with golden accents (Basic but with the option 5 hair and option 3 voice)._

 _It was dodged as Validar disappeared in a flash of blue, a mocking laugh signifying his new location,_ _ **"You fools!"**_ _His body was surrounded by arcing blue lightning, and he charged at the Exalt, intending on finishing him off._

 _A new voice made itself known, "Not today fuckhead!_ _ **RASENGAN!**_ _"_

 _A swirling blue sphere of chakra that raged in every direction found itself between the dark magic infused priest and his target, grinding against it and pushing Validar back with a final burst of energy._

 _The blue haired man known as Chrom gave a weary smile, "About time you joined in Fishcake."_

 _Chrom grabbed the hand that was offered him, revealing the person who had helped him to be a male that was about a year younger than him standing around 5'9-5'10, with Blond hair that spiked in every direction, with whisker marks on his face, and was wearing a simple tunic colored rustic-Orange that had a leather chest guard, a band on his left arm containing three Kunai, a gauntlet that extended all the way up his right arm which was colored crimson, and finally a black headband with an insignia of what resembled a leaf hanging around his neck._

" _Really, even after I save your hide and you still call me that? Show some respect Oh mighty Exalt!" Was the lazy and sarcastic reply from the Whiskered man, "When will you call me Naruto?"_

" _When we save the world, now DUCK!" Naruto did as he was told and flattened his body to the ground, a wave of PURE DARKNESS filling the space that they had once occupied._

" _Shit, where's Robin!"_

 _The woman who had launched the previous Thoron dove next to them, avoiding a blast of dark magic from Validar, "Right here Naruto, Chrom."_

 _Naruto let loose a breath of relief, "Oh thank Na-"_

 _He was blasted back from a lightning charged Validar, who raised his hand, forming a giant sphere of coalesced Dark Magic, "_ _ **Now you DIE!"**_

 _Naruto watched as the sphere was launched at him, "_ Move Damnit!" _He thought, but was unable to do so, his muscles twitching and unresponsive from the electric attack he had suffered. The world slowed as he saw Robin block the Mage's attack with another Thoron._

" _Whew, thank you Tactician Lady!"_

" _Whatever, Let's tip the scales!"_

 _They were both slapped over the head by Chrom, "Enough! This is it! Our Final battle!"_

 _The two faced him, listening to their leaders words, "You two are one of us now, Naruto, Robin, and no 'Destiny' or 'Fate' will ever change that." Chrom turned forward, facing their opponent, "Now let's kill this Dastard and be done with it!"_

 _Naruto punched his right hand into his left, "Now that's something I can get behind!"_

 _Robin sighed, but had a small smile on her face, "Boys and their violence…"_

 _And with that, they charged._

" _ **HAHAHA! WHY DO YOU RESIST?!"**_

" _Because fuck you, that's why!"_

 _Naruto jumped into the air, avoiding yet another wave of darkness, before vanishing from sight, instead a Thoron taking his place. Validar raised his hand, effortlessly batting the magic away, before his vision was filled with Blue and Yellow._

" _Haaaaaaaaa!" Dual strikes were heard as Naruto and Chrom struck Validar, Naruto locking blade against Book of Grima, while Chrom had landed a clean blow on Validar's body._

 _Sensing an opening, Naruto let go of his silver sword and got behind Validar, locking his arms around his torso, "ROBIN, NOW!"_

 _Robin was in front of the Grimleal, wielding a Levin sword, "Goodbye,_ _Father!_ _" She muttered, before slicing Validar diagonally across the chest, electricity exploding from the blade upon impact, the Dark mage's eyes widening as he realized what had transpired._

 _He was dying._

 _And so were his ambitions._

 _Naruto stepped back, letting the body of Validar, purple flame drifting off the fallen Mage's body, breathing deeply._

" _Looks like we did it."_

 _Robin approached her two comrades, "Yeah, it's finally over!"_

" _ **Damn you! DAMN YOU ALL!"**_

 _In a last ditch effort, Validar launched all of his remaining life force, sacrificing it all for one, final burst of dark magic._

"Why is she pushing me away?" _Were the Blond shinobi's thoughts, eyes widening when he saw the Giant sphere of devastation approaching._

 _He watched as he was launched back, reaching his arm out. Robin still in the way, and then she was struck, sent hurling through the air, and landed like a ragdoll as she lay on the ground._

" _ROBIN!"_

 _Naruto and Chrom rushed to her side, Chrom reaching her first, and had raised her from the ground, "Hey, you okay?"_

 _After seeing that the disoriented woman muttering yes, Chrom breathed a sigh of relief, "Thank Naga! Because of you we carried the day, let's head back to-"Noticing Robin stumble, he steadied the young woman, "Hey! Robin, are you oka-"_

 _*SHLURK*_

 _He saw as Chrom was stabbed, wanted to move to prevent it, but the damn throbbing! The DAMN THROBBING WOULDN'T STOP! His eyes wouldn't stop seeing Red! He couldn't move, he couldn't save him!_

 _Chrom's eyes widened as he looked at the small Thoron lodged in his body, he stumbled back, looking to Robin, as the young woman's eyes watered and widened at what she had done._

 _Chrom saw the distress in her eyes, and saw that Naruto was on his knees, gripping his head, a Bloody Red cloak beginning to cover his form, looking at him in despair as his normally Cerulean eyes bled into CRIMSON._

 _Using the last of his strength, Chrom covered the heavily bleeding wound, and managed to speak "Thi-This is no-not either of you-your faults." He stumbled back, his strength waning, "I beg of you, esca-escape from this place" His eyes desperately pleading to the two people he trusted above all others, "Please", His voice barely a whisper as he began to fall back, "Go…."_

 _Chrom fell to the ground, his face hidden by his hair as he landed in a heap._

 _The Exalt had passed from this world._

 _Both Robin and Naruto's vision began to bleed red once more, as mocking laughter from the man they had thought they had slain._

" _ **UHAHAHAH, AHAHAHHAH!"**_

" _ **YOU CAN'T ESCAPE FATE!"**_

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"AGAAAHHHHH!"

Naruto lurched upwards from his bed, his arm outstretched in front of him.

He appeared to be 16 years old, younger than the dream version of himself.

"Another nightmare, huh"

He shook his head in frustration, growling slightly, " _It's that same damn dream every time!"_

He could never really grasp at what had happened during the nightmare, his memory of it fuzzy after he had woken up, the only parts of it he had ever remembered were the names Robin, Chrom, and that taunting voice that been haunting him every night for the past couple of months.

" _ **YOU CAN'T ESCAPE FATE!"**_

That voice really pissed him off, it reminded him of something, but he couldn't remember, that only made him angrier.

The fact was, he couldn't remember anything about himself.

3 years ago, he had washed up on the river side of the town he currently resided in, the name of which was Southtown, located in the Exalt-ruled Ylisse. He was rescued by a local shopkeeper, a gruff, dark-skinned old man with grey hair and a smithy's build by the name of Lomba. When he came to, he had been asked why he was floating down the river, and where he came from, and naturally he told the old shopkeeper what he knew, which happened to be nothing.

Lomba had called bullshit on him, but due to further questioning, revealed that the young boy was telling the truth. The only thing the boy had remembered were his name, only his first name. The only memory besides that was the image of a bat-like creature launching itself towards him, shouting his name. His only possession in the entire world a roughed up headband with the insignia of a leaf.

He was Naruto, just Naruto.

Lomba offered him a place to stay, stating that he had a spare room in the back of his shop, The Curious Manakete, and Naruto had accepted, working at the shop to work off what he called his 'debt to the old man!' They had quickly discovered he had a talent in bladed weapons such as knives and swords, and kept a wooden dummy outside for him to practice his skills on.

Three years had passed since that day, and he had been working with the Old Man still.

He yawned as he rose out of his bed, donning his signature Orange tunic and plain trousers, before stepping into his armor plated shoes and slipping his headband across his neck. He brushed his teeth and began to splash cold water on his face, preparing for the day's work.

Stepping outside of his room, he closed the door behind him and began to go down the stairs, hearing Old Man Lomba's gruff voice greeting a customer with the usual, and "What can I get you with?"

Naruto raised his hand in an apologetic manner, "Sorry Old Man, not a customer."

"Damnit boy, I thought we had business!"

Naruto's ire was visible as he pointed his finger at the old shopkeeper, "Who the hell comes to a shop at five in the Naga-damned morning?!"

Lomba just waved him off, "Eh, what's it matter anyway."

Naruto stared at the man, amazed of how his mood could change so quickly, before being grabbed by the shoulder and pulled towards the storage room along with the Old Man.

"Naruto my boy, todays your lucky day!"

His eyes widened, "Wait, no way you mean?"

Lomba burst into a loud, guffawing laughter, "Yep! We finally received that shipment o'Tomes we were getting! Go nuts!"

Naruto rushed forward and grabbed two books from the shelf, one red and the other a light green, "Wind and Fire huh?"

Naruto kept grinning, "This'll work!"  
Lomba smacked him on the back, "'Course it'll work! You have the strongest magic anyone in Southtown has seen!"

During his first year living in Southtown, Naruto had gotten a hold of a basic wind tome from a passing Mage he had run errands for to help keep the shop up and running.

He had brought it back to Lomba and had asked what it was; the old man had just gained an owlish look as he asked the child if he ever heard of mages and tomes.

Answering no, Naruto had gotten an explanation of the basics of the different types of tomes, and mages. Lomba had led him outside, ushering him to the training dummy.

Lomba told him to look inside himself, and to find what would feel like a river of power inside, focus that power into the tome and shout out the name of the tome.

He had done as instructed, but instead of finding a steady river, he found a raging ocean of power inside, potent and volatile, focused on it and shouted, **"WIND!"**  
Wind normally launches a small blade of wind at the opponent.

This time it had launched dual blades at least the size of an Elwind!

The training dummy was ripped to shreds by the powerful wind spell, cuts and gouges in the ground behind it a testament to his power.

Naruto summed it up as, "Holy Shit".

Lomba instructed him to do the same, and was met with the same Elwind from before, Lomba went inside of the shop, this time handing Naruto a Fire spell, and told him to do the same.

Naruto once again focused on the power inside of him and shouted, **"FIRE!"**

A great ball of fire at least the size of an Elfire emerged from his outstretched hand, Looking down he noticed that instead of the normal yellow glyphs and circles that tomes normally would emit when a spell was cast, he was instead surrounded by blue and red glyphs, surging at the seams with power.

Naruto returned the tome to the Old Man and looked at his hand. Lomba was stunned, never before had he seen such talent in Magecraft, never!

Every spell he had used, he had seemingly overcharged them to the point where the spell turned into its higher ranked counterpart.

Since then, Lomba had Naruto practice his magic, thinking the young lad to be a prodigy in the Arcane. He had him tested for aptitude in various weapons.

Turns out he sucked at using bows, well what do ya know.

And axes, and lances.

Swords, daggers, and Tomes were apparently his strong points.

Back to the present now.

The Whiskered Amnesiac had been studying the Tomes shipment for the past two hours, making sure everything on the list of products was accounted for, as well as checking to see if the goods had been damaged. He was a part-time Shopkeeper ya'know.

Naruto kept the two Fire and Wind Tomes he had grabbed previously, leaving about 25 more on the shelf for customers. 'I'm heading out Old Man! Huntin' time!"

Naruto was the one of the duo that caught the meat and sold it to various stands around the city, keeping the coin for his rent, and keeping some of his catch for dinner. He had become a rather well-known figure in the settlement of Southtown, and many recognized him as a rather carefree and enjoyable sort of lad, trustworthy and loyal to a fault.

This was shown as he was walking through the main street of town, waving and saying hello to the various people that had done the same greetings to him, kids running up to him and mobbing his legs, asking him what he would bring in today, if he had any candy, "Hey Big Bro, think you can play with us later?"

Naruto shook his head apologetically, chuckling slightly, "No, I'm afraid the Old Man is keeping me on a tight schedule today. Maybe tomorrow, sound good?"

The boy that had spoken for the group nodded, "Yeah!" And with that, the local kids scampered off.

Naruto watched the children run off, witnessing them laugh and having fun. A small, almost melancholic smile made its way to his face, before being replaced by a small grin and chuckle. He decided that he needed to get going, and resumed his journey to the surrounding forest.

He soon found himself at the edge of town, entering the forest that was located to the east of the town, and jumped to reach a branch, easily clearing the distance between him and the branch. Another thing that appeared to be exceptional about him was the fact that he had amazing physical prowess, once again startling his caretaker and friend.

He proceeded to make his way to one of the higher branches, looking down to spot a dear, heck, he'd even take a bear at this point! He was hungry and he wanted meat now!

And so he waited, and waited, and waited, and waited, an-

*SNOOOOOOORE*

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"Ahedsguah!"

Naruto awoke startled, he was supposed to be hunting, not fall asleep, he looked to the sky. _"Great, its past midday, maybe 4 hours past midday, shit! Old Man Lomba is gonna kick my ass!"_

The Whiskered Blond jumped down from his perch in the tree and began jogging back to Southtown, worrying of how much trouble he was going to be in trouble, it was his time to manage the shop too!

As Naruto resumed his trek after gripping his head in frustration, he noticed something.

The smell of smoke.

" _Smoke? Why the hell is there smoke?"_ He looked to the sky once more and noticed where it was coming from. The direction of Southtown.

" _Oh shit, Fire!"_

Naruto began to sprint towards the town he called home, hoping he wasn't too late to save his people. He came to the hill that gave a view from the forest, allowing one to see the serene and quiet place that was Southtown.

All he saw from there was now flames.

He saw the local men of the village gathering arms or buckets to either fight the bandits or fight the fire.  
As the Amnesiac reached the group, he shouted, "Garland, what the hell is happening!"

Garland was a slim man, his brown hair tied in a loose ponytail. He could barely hold a sword, and yet here he was, a Bronze Sword in his grip, his eyes widened when he saw the boy Lomba had found on the riverside three years prior.

"Naruto, Oh thank Naga! We thought the Plegians got you as well!"

Naruto stiffened as he heard the word.

Plegians, people belonging to the neighboring country of Plegia. Ylisse and Plegia had previously been in a war with one another, each side taking heavy losses, each side bearing a considerable grudge against each other. The war had ended when the current Exalt Emmeryn declared an end to the war, almost immediately after the death of her father.

Ylissians everywhere had brought their animosity on the girl for her father's actions during the war, shifting the blame from father to daughter. Naruto had hated how people thought that just because of the actions of someone else, Emmeryn had people blaming her for something that was out of her control. He had heard she had two siblings, but he was never told what they looked like, or their names.

Slowly, but surely she had gained the respect of her people, even some Plegians had forgiven the Exalt for the sins of her father, but the majority of Plegia still resented Ylisse for the horrors her father had brought upon the people of Plegia.

He had respected her for that. Something inside the Blond resonated with the story, as if it wanted the same thing, it was rather curious and he could never remember why he had this sense of longing.

Naruto snapped back into reality, "Plegians! What in Naga's name are they attacking us for!" It made absolutely no sense! Southtown wasn't a very strategic spot within Ylisse, it wasn't that large, and they didn't have any major importance. Unless, "They want to slaughter us all…."

Garland gave a tired nod, "Aye, they've made no move to take prisoners, only killed those they could catch. They look like a bunch of run of the mill bandits, but I'll bet my last Gold that that Dastard King Gangrel of theirs has something to do with this!"

Naruto motioned for Garland to move, "I'm going to take out as many as I can, thin out the herd Ya'know. You take these men and put out the fires, those who can fight, guard the townspeople and the firefighters! Are you ready?!" He brandished a Bronze Sword above his head.

"AYE!"

Naruto turned and dashed towards the nearest Plegian he could find, which happened to be a common warrior. Naruto dodged the first strike his opponent made, letting the heavy iron axe fall to his right, countering with a slash of his own.

The strike was a hard one, signified by the Plegian's chest plate flying off and landing with a heavy thud. "You messed with the wrong Shopkeeper!" Naruto capitalized on this by kicking his opponent into the air, and pointing his sword up into the air, the Plegian Warrior landing on the blade now imbedded in his chest.

*CRITICAL!*

Naruto stepped to the side, allowing the fallen Plegian to slide off of his blade, swiping his sword to the side afterwards to clean off some of the blood.

He snapped his head to his right, avoiding an iron sword that was wielded by a Plegian Myrmidon, backed by another Warrior and a female Mage. Naruto reached into his pack, now wielding a Wind Tome in his left hand, alongside his Bronze Sword.

The Myrmidon looked shocked, "A Spellsword?! Quick, kill 'im!"

Naruto locked blades with the Myrmidon, his superior strength allowing him to clash blades with a single hand against the speed-type fighter. He held The Wind Tome and pointed his index finger from the same hand at the Mage, deciding to eliminate what he thought was the biggest threat, **"WIND!"**

At first it was a tiny gust, but upon going several inches past his outstretched finger turned into a raging gale, cutting out gouges in the ground, and eventually the Mage herself, her body torn and ripped apart by the sundering wind blades. Naruto flipped the Tome through the air, catching it in his mouth before punching his opponent in the ribs, forcing the Myrmidon to back away. Naruto himself launching backwards to avoid a strike from the remaining Warrior that would have cut him down if he hadn't broken his sword-lock with the Myrmidon.

He did not escape unscathed.

A sizable gash now marred his body, located on his left arm where the Warrior managed to get him. He could still operate the appendage, but if he didn't get treatment soon he was going to gain one hell of a scar. Once more rushing forward, he saw that a Blonde haired girl whose said hair was in two tails on either side of her head had wondered onto the battlefield, dressed almost like a high ranking Noblewoman, she wielded a staff which signified her as a Cleric.

" _Why in Naga's name is there a Cleric ALONE on the battlefield!"_

Clerics were healers by definition, and had virtually no combat capabilities unless they had used a master seal and became a War-Cleric, which he highly doubted the frightened girl looked like.

He saw the look on the Myrmidons face, and both raced to be the first to reach her.

Naruto was blocked by the Warrior from earlier, stepping back to avoid a horizontal slash that was meant to bisect him. "OUTTA' MY WAY!" The Whiskered Amnesiac shouted, launching a Wind spell at the ground to create a smoke screen.

When it cleared, Naruto was nowhere to be seen, the Warrior looked around in confusion, until he heard a shout from the air.

Naruto was In midair, the ground a rather sizable distance below him, he pointed his Wind Tome behind his body and shouted, **"WIND!"** and the massive gale that burst into life sent him at the ground at impossible speeds. The Warrior set up his Iron axe in preparation to block the incoming blow.

Naruto's Bronze Sword shined a golden color for a single second, signifying an ability was being used. He reached his opponent, using all the speed and momentum to add to his strength, " **FALLING STAR!"**

Naruto swung his sword at his opponents axe, shattering the iron weapon in a single strike, and continued forward until it found its way to cleave into his enemies flesh. The Warrior's eyes widened, and he fell to the ground dead. Naruto picked up the axe left behind, turning his body and launched it towards the Myrmidon, who was just upon the poor Cleric. The axe landed at the Plegian's feet before he continued on his way.

It only made the Myrmidon flinch and slow for a single second, before he raised his sword to cleave into the Cleric.

She had screamed out a name, probably the one she cared about, "CHROM!"

Naruto failed to notice the shout that had answered her, "LISSA!"

A single second was all Naruto needed.

Instead of blade meeting flesh, Iron met Bronze.

The Plegians eyes met with Cerulean, the kid from before crouched below him blocking the fatal blow. He witnessed the Ylissian put his hand forward, glaring daggers at him, the Tome in his hand red this time, finger pointed directly at his head.

" **FIRE!"**

And the Plegian Myrmidon knew no more.

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A young male that looked to be seventeen clashed and locked blades with yet another Plegian, his blue hair covered with dirt and sweat as he parried a blow, spun around, and slashed down another bandit.

He slammed his sword into the ground after twirling it around, resting on the blade after he finished what seemed to be the last of the Plegians. The sword itself was a gleaming silver with a line of gold going down the middle of the blade, extending from the golden hilt that's handle was wrapped in red leather. It hummed with a yet unlocked power, but was still quite the formidable blade.

Its name was Falchion, Sword of the Royal Family of House Ylisse.

The mentioned young man with blue hair looked to be around 5'8-5'9 in height, he wore a blue tunic with white stripes going diagonally down it, and had one sleeve cut off, showing a muscular arm with a strange Teardrop-like symbol on his shoulder. He also was wearing blue pants and white boots, an armored shoulder-guard on his covered arm that was connected to a cape, which was bearing the same symbol as his uncovered arm.

He turned his head to the sound of sizzling, seeing another bandit fall, "That magic of yours is pretty useful, Ms. Amnesia".

A figure removed its hood, revealing a young woman of around sixteen years of age with spiky snow-white hair that fell to her chest, doe-brown eyes that any guy could get lost in, and a figure that most girls her age would kill for which was hidden by the heavy, baggy black and purple cloak with gold accents (Again, its basic with option 5 hair and option 3 voice)

"For the last time Chrom, my name is Robin."

He nodded, "Indeed it is."

Both craned their heads towards the sound of hooves clapping against stone, as they saw a man riding a huge horse, of which both horse and rider were decked out in full armor. Despite his stature, the rider was not some seasoned, scarred, old veteran knight, but rather a seasoned, young knight who would be described as handsome by the women of the world, unscarred by battle. Oh, and did I mention he had Brown hair?

"Milord, I have cleared out the Plegian bandits in the north side, how faire you?"

Chrom just nodded in the affirmative, "Same here Frederick, but where's my sister?"

Frederick's face scrunched up in confusion, "Milord, I thought Lady Lissa was with you, is she not?"

Both Chrom and Frederick's faces were alert, both looking at their surroundings.

"Crap, Lissa doesn't fight well, if she gets caught she's done, we need to find her now!" Chrom shouted, his face portraying the worry he was feeling. If his little sister was hurt, he would never forgive himself!

"CHROM!"

He turned his head, and saw his baby sister on the ground, a Plegian Myrmidon above her, his sword poised to strike. He sprinted towards his sister, hoping against all odds he would reach her.

The sword started its descent.

He reached out his hand, wishing the sword would just be even a second slower.

He realized he wasn't going to make it.

"LISSA!"

The sword reached his sister and it-

Was intercepted by a simple Bronze Sword.

Chrom saw the Blond stranger crouched below the Plegian, his Bronze Sword blocking the fatal blow from behind his back, he saw the piercing glare the Blond gave the Myrmidon, the utter rage that they had dared attack his home, DARED to attack a defenseless girl, before pointing a Finger at the Plegians head.

In that hand was a red Tome.

Another person who wielded both Steel and Spell.

" **FIRE!"**

And the Plegian's head and torso were consumed by a raging blaze.

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Naruto watched as the now charred remains of the Plegian fell to the ground, panting as his wounds took their toll on his body. He fell back down to one knee after attempting to stand back up. He had things to do!

" _I still have to find the Old Man!"_

A grunt of pain escaped his lips as he once more attempted to make it to his feet, succeeding in his endeavor. He stumbled a bit, but otherwise remained on his feet.

He touched his left arm, and his hand came back red.

He also felt a soft touch on his shoulder.

"Hey, you're hurt! Oh Naga I'm sorry."

He turned to see the girl whose life he had just saved, Her Blonde tresses shaking as she apologized to him profusely.

"No need for apologies", Naruto began, "Just doing the right thing." Naruto finished with a smile. "Buuut, if you really want to help, could you patch up my arm?"

Lissa looked to her savior's arm, noticing the crimson liquid that was pooling on the ground underneath. "Yes!"

Not either one of them noticed the slight steaming the wound was giving off.

Lissa chanted under her breath, her staff glowing, and then pressed the tip of it to his open wound. Upon contact, the wound seemed to close in on itself, the steam increasing in volume slightly, Naruto himself feeling reinvigorated afterwards.

"Lissa!"

Said person looked to where she heard the voice, seeing her older brother, Frederick, and the Mysterious Robin approaching, actually more like sprinting to her. "Big Brother!"

Naruto eyed the newcomers, before lowering his Tome and sheathing his blade. He watched as the male with blue hair approached, before he caught and embraced the girl Naruto had saved moments before. Setting the young girl on her feet, the male bowed his head slightly to him, "Thank you, for saving my sister, I don't think I could live with myself if anything happened to her."

Naruto just gave a light smile, "Don't worry about it."

The one on the horse approached with a stern glare, "You will not refer to his majesty Chrom in such a tone."

The blue male looked at the knight, "Frederick! He saved Lissa's life Can't you ever just let people act normal."

Naruto was just confused, "Uhh, did I do something wrong?"

Frederick spoke up, "You referred to Milord Chrom and Lady Lissa with a familiar tone, no respect at all!"

"So you're Chrom?"

Chrom nodded, "Yes"

Naruto folded his arms across his chest, "And that means what exactly?"

Chrom, Lissa, and even Frederick face faulted when the Blond uttered that sentence, he didn't know who they were.

Chrom coughed, "Ahem, I'm Chrom, Chrom of House Ylisse, and she is my sister, Lissa"

He gestured to the aforementioned female, and then waited.

Naruto took a moment to digest the information, were they? Oh Naga help him. "House Ylisse, as in the Royal Family House Ylisse, The descendants of the Hero King Marth, House Ylisse?"

Chrom gained an amused grin, "The one and only."

Naruto's face dropped into a look of surprise, and then fear as he had just referred to a member of the House Ylisse in a tone most disrespectful, "Well….WAIT NANI!?"

The Spell User started to fumble his words around and began to sweat nervously, before his face suddenly lit up in realization, "Wait, so that means I literally saved the princess of the land?"

Lissa grinned as a response.

"Sweet."

Naruto was sooooooo going to brag about this to the Old Man.

Then he locked eyes with the other female of the group.

He felt a wave of nausea before he remembered, HIS DREAM! Chrom and someone else….Rohan….Rowal…..No it was.

"Robin?", "Naruto?"

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Robin witnessed as the Blonde man had used both Sword and Spell to dispatch his opponent, he was good, reaaaly good. He only used a simple Fire spell, and yet it seemed so much more powerful than that!

Robin walked alongside the others, towards the stranger that had saved Lissa's life.

Robin was fairly certain of herself when it came to Tactics, she had devised a plan to route the Plegians from Southtown, and it had been working so far.

Now if only she could remember where this skill came from.

Yes, Robin was an amnesiac; she couldn't remember a lick of her past except tiny bits and pieces of Swordplay, Magecraft, and especially Tactics. Everything from her past, save her skills and her name, was lost to her. Now the only memories she had were of waking up to a girl begging her brother to help her out of that field.

She wondered if she had any siblings as well.

So it was quite the curious sight when she had a sense of familiarity with the Blond, the same feeling she had with Chrom. Wait….HER DREAM! Chrom and someone else….Nathan…Naturan…..No it was

"Naruto?", "Robin?"

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Naruto couldn't believe it, she knew his name!

Maybe she knew him before he washed up, or maybe, maybe!

She beat him to the punch, "How do you know me?"

"What?"

His hopes fell a far distance.

And were shattered across the ground, "What do you me-"

*BOOOOOOM!*

Naruto was interrupted by a loud explosion, coming from the direction of….

"Old Man Lomba!" Naruto ran towards the direction of the shop.

Chrom and the others followed him, ready to fight once again.

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Naruto and co. arrived to see what appeared to be the leader, based off of his giving orders to the other Plegians, as well as him wearing rather ornate armor compared to the rest of his troop.

Beneath his boot was a beaten up Lomba, the shop behind him, however, was left unharmed.

They were just preparing to light it ablaze.

Not on his fucking watch!

" **WIND!"** A Myrmidon fell, and his companion fell to the sting of the blade a second after, Naruto becoming a virtual bringer of destruction upon those who dared harm the one person who had taken him in when he had no one.

Chrom and the others charged in behind him, Frederick taking down the more heavily armored troops while Chrom covered Lissa as she went around healing the various wounded townspeople left.

Robin herself was trying to catch up to the Enraged Blond, watching on in slight awe of how he seemingly cleaved through his opponents like butter, A slight aura of red encasing his form, only a little red glow, not enough for anyone to notice.

He was essentially a Berserker.

Two stepped up, and two were sliced, diced, or burnt down.

Naruto stopped when he noticed that the leader of the Plegians now held the Old Man in his grip, axe poised to slit his throat, "Oi, Blondie! One more move an' the Grandpa gets 'is blood all over da streets!" The Leader, Garrick, shouted, "Awl'right! Get 'im Lads!"

More bandits rushed towards him. Garrick's Laughter echoed through the street, "Here Sheepy, Sheepy! Come to the Slaughter!"

" _Shit! If I move to defend myself he'll kill the Old Man, think, Naga Damnit THINK!"_

Naruto saw the body near Garrick.

It was Garland, the man had been slashed across the chest, he had bled out to death, staring out into space, as a madman laughed as he suffered.

Garland had two kids.

Naruto gripped his sword tighter, his rage building, why? WHY WOULD ANY PERSON ENJOY THIS?!

Naruto didn't notice that Robin already had a plan, she aimed her hand towards the dragon statue above Garrick's head, the statue that donned The Curious Manakete for years.

" **Thunder!"**

The statue fell, striking a glancing blow on Garrick's shoulder, Lomba using this opportunity to escape from his grip. Chrom advanced and sliced down a Mage in Naruto's way, Frederick speared through the remaining Myrmidon.

Naruto Launched himself right at Garrick, shouting as he approached the Plegian rapidly, yelling his rage at this man for hurting, killing, SLAUGHTERING his people. TEARING FAMILIES APART! ENJOYING THEIR SUFFERING LIKE SOME KIND OF FUCKING ANIMAL!

Garrick was the only one who saw the once Blue eyes turn and bleed into bright Crimson, his pupils turning into slits.

Naruto plunged his Bronze Sword into Garrick's stomach, buried it to the hilt and then flung him into the air, pulling out a red tome.

"BURN IN HELL YOU DASTARD!"

" **FIRE!"**

A blazing inferno engulfed Garrick, reducing his corpse to ashes.

Crimson once again faded into blue.

Panting heavily, Naruto focused and quelled his rage, taking deep breathes and sheathing his sword.

Lomba stared on at the brutal act Naruto had committed, not that the Dastard didn't deserve it, but just because it was Naruto, the gentle, kind boy that everyone knew to be carefree could do such a thing astounded him.

He trained him goooood!

"Atta boy! Show that Dastard what for!"

Naruto stumbled up to Lomba, his face the epitome of dead seriousness, "I'm sooo getting a raise for this, no buts, ifs, or anything Old Man!"

Naruto stood up straight, turning to Lissa and walked up to her, "How is everyone doing?" Lissa gave a tired smile, "Almost everyone was fine, although" her face turned downcast, "A few…..They were too far gone." Tears welled in her eyes, she couldn't save them! They begged and yet, she couldn't sa-

Naruto placed a hand on her shoulder, "You did your best, and you saved many who would have died without your help, that's all we can ask for."

Lissa's tears stopped, and her brother came up beside her, "He's right Lissa, you saved some lives today, be proud."

"Thanks Brother."

Naruto looked around, noticing that most of the fire had already been taken care of, and the remaining ones were under control by the townsfolk, who would soon kill the flames.

He held up Lomba, supporting the Old Man as he walked.

He turned his head, gesturing for the others to come inside, "Come on, we can talk inside, it's better than out here anyway, wouldn't you agree?" Chrom and Robin looked at each other, nodding, as well as Frederick tying up his horse to a nearby post.

"All right, lead the way."

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 _AN: Hello peeps! This is the first sample chapter of my Naruto/Fire Emblem: Awakening crossover! I was really excited to do this, even though it is an Amnesiac Naruto story. He lost all his memories after his clash with Sasuke, but how did he end up in Ylisse? Why is he having a nightmare that he can never seem to clearly remember, and now he has met the two people he vaguely remembers from it._

 _I reckon that Tomes harness the inner power of the Mage, and since in here Chakra is more potent and volatile energy than the standard magic power, It overloads the spell with energy and upgrades it to its higher ranked counterpart._

 _And now for the pairing options._

 _NarutoXFem!Robin: Enamored Amnesiacs_

 _NarutoXLissa: Blond Hero and Blonde Maiden._

 _NarutoXCordelia: Red Wings of Fate._

 _NarutoXOlivia: The Dance That Is Love._

 _NarutoXCherche: Roaring Lovers._

 _NarutoXLucina: Fates Defied._

 _And if someone gives a good enough reason as to why I should do it:_

 _NarutoXNowi: NSFW?_

 _I MIGHT DO A DOUBLE PAIRING FOR NARUTO IN THIS STORY, IF ENOUGH PEOPLE VOTE FOR THAT, IN WHICH CASE, NEW OPENINGS WILL BE MADE IN THE LIST, SUCH AS:_

 _NarutoXFem!RobinXCordelia: Knuckleheaded Airborne Make-Out Tactics!_

 _HAVE A GREAT DAY EVAREYBODAY!_

 _ **OMAKE: Different World? A Dull-Eyed Menace Meets a Blue-Eyed Knucklehead.**_

 _Naruto had seen many crazy things in his life._

 _He did come from a land where people could control the elements, walk on water, summon gigantic creatures of Ultimate Fucking Destruction. Yes, the Elemental Nations were a freakish place._

 _This world was so much more so._

 _People with many abilities, Heck even some animals, were fighting for Kami knows what reason, paying him no heed whatsoever. He even saw A humanoid Fox and bird light themselves on fire to attack their opponents!_

 _The strangest part about the place he had ended up after his fight with Sasuke, was the fact that when a fighter was defeated, their loss was signified by them exploding into a huge beam of light parallel to where they were launched off._

 _Naruto cringed as another burst of light went off._

 _That thing…..It wasn't human!_

 _It threw people around like ragdolls, launching them behind its back with an unseen force! It threw around fire, trapping its victims before it mercilessly made them into that burst of light with a wooden cylinder of some sort._

 _It made it rain FUCKING METEORS for Kami's sake!_

 _The only person besides that beast was a man in a tight blue outfit and a red helmet._

 _He valiantly tried to avenge the defeat of the others, but it was all for naught, as the creature hit him with a bolt of lightning._

 _The man actually managed to shrug it off, before jumping into the air, and screaming,_

" _ **Falcon….."**_

" _ **PAAAAWNCH!"**_

 _Surrounding the man's fist and body was a great bird made of flame, the force of the blow creating a shockwave and blowing Naruto's hair even from the distance he was at._

 _The smoke cleared, revealing the man panting._

 _And the beast was unharmed._

 _Naruto heard the man utter a single sentence, "Spot dodge…."_

 _He too was launched behind the creature, a massive boom echoing and signifying the man's defeat._

 _The beast turned to him, and began walking towards Naruto._

 _It came closer_

 _And closer._

 _And when it reached him, it uttered a single word._

" _Okaaay"_

 _Naruto stared in confusion, "What?"_

" _Okaaay", The black-eyed boy with the red cap and striped shirt nodded as he repeated the word._

 _The boy pointed to behind Naruto as a shadow began to cover both of their forms._

 _Naruto looked behind him, "What in Kami's fucking name it that?!"_

 _It was a massive white gloved hand, descending from the heavens, before it began hovering in place and it's fingers began to move._

 _Naruto felt a hand on his shoulder, noticing the beas….kid was nodding and charged up his hands with a green energy, as if telling him it was time to fight._

 _Naruto looked at the boy with a curved brow, "We have to fight this thing?"_

 _A single nod was his response._

" _Well, then let's get to it!"_

 _The two prepared themselves for the battle with the massive hand as a disembodied voice made itself known._

" _ **3, 2, 1, GOOOOO!"  
**_ _Naruto and the boy charged the massive gloved hand._

" _ **RASENGAN!/PK PULSE!"**_

 _ **OMAKE END!**_

 _REMEMBER! LIKE, FAVORITE, REVIEW IF YOU WANT THIS STORY TO LIVE! LIIIIIIIVE!_

 _P.S. SMASH IS LOVE, SMASH IS LIFE!_ the same feeling she had with Chrom. Wlas


	2. Paralogue: A Friends Farewell

_AN: Hello again my fellow Emblemeers! I was seriously disturbed by the lack of these crossovers, and even the ones available didn't have that much of a word count, or were slain prematurely like a poorly trained Donnel, which could have turned into unstoppable tanks. I, Thewackness135, hereby swear that I shall never abandon this story! Until Death, I hereby swear it to you!_

 _I fucked up a bit with the story settings, failing to label any characters, but I fixed that._

 _To clear up some confusion, This story features a , I REPEAT, A !_

 _Because I've come to a conclusion. I HAVE BEEN CONVINCED!_

 _A NEW SHIPPING LORD HAS ARISEN! ALL HAIL THE PAIRING OVERLORD!_

 _A friend of mine knows that I do this, he discovered I write Fanfiction._

 _T'was an awkward conversation, one I had not expected, but I was stunned to discover he actually was a fan of this story. He laid out a pretty convincing argument as to why Nowi should be included, and Damnit I agreed._

 _NarutoXNowi: NSFW? Is now an official pairing option._

 _Also was convinced to add another option._

 _NarutoXTiki: Manakete and Kitsune._

 _I hope that I meet all your expectations of a Naruto/Fire Emblem story. Are you ready?  
Then let the Tale resume._

Fonts: See first chapter

 **DISCLAIMER: Thewackness135 does not own either Naruto, or Fire Emblem Awakening; If I did, I would have included a side mission investigating Robin's missing memories. Seriously, how was there not a side mission for it?**

 **STORY START!**

 **STORY: Inescapable Fates: Memories of a Shopkeeper**

 **CH.2: Paralogue: Farewell To a Friend, An Old Man's Gratitude.**

Naruto was walking, helping the injured Lomba make their way to The Curious Manakete, the shop that he had called home for three years, Chrom and his following behind them. He had meant to reach the entranceway of the shop, before a villager made his way to the group and began to speak.

Naruto noticed the man to be Ludwik, a Red headed man with a Bronze Axe on his back, burly and smelled of alcohol. The local wood splitter and a man well renowned in Southtown as the settlement's greatest Drinker, but even if he was a Drunkard, he was a Drunkard with a heart, often seen giving portions of his gold to the local Church of Naga to give aid for the poorer citizens of Southtown.

"Hey, Lad!" His face turned to one of surprise, before turning into a large grin, "If it isn't the Arcane Prodigy himself, Naruto somehow I knew you would be right in the thick of this!" He noticed Chrom and his group behind Naruto. "You helped the traveler's route out those damned Plegians, eh?"

Naruto nodded, "Yeah, it was one hell of a fight." Naruto's face turned downcast, "But….Garland…He, he didn't make it…"

Ludwik looked to the bodies already being moved by the members of Naga's church, noticing the brown haired father of two being set onto a cart with the other dead. An sorrowful look made itself known on the lumberman's face, "He…He was a good man. Ah Naga-Damnit, how am I supposed to tell 'is wife an' little one's"

Naruto's face only continued being shadowed by his hair, the fact that the two children of Garland had lost their father, and how their mother Holly would take it, " _If I was a little faster…Maybe I could've done something."_

He was smacked on the back of the head by his fellow townsman, before being forced to look straight into his eyes, "Listen lad, you're one of the strongest and most capable Warriors this town had ever produced, you're strong, you're fast, but you aren't Naga Naruto, you're just human. If you didn't make it on time, no one could've. If anyone's to blame, it's those Dastard Plegians."

Naruto looked grateful for the words, nodding as he and Lomba stepped aside when Ludwik addressed the group of Travelers.

"'Ey, you helped our little prodigy 'ere save the town right? Well, we're simple folk, of simple means, but everyone here, me especially, would gladly toast to your valor with a feast and good drink!"

Frederick stepped forward, "A most generous offer good sir, and no doubt your hospitality would be grand….But I'm afraid we have to hurry back to Ylisstol."

Lissa had noticed the distressed expression on Robin's face at them leaving so soon, especially after Robin had recognized someone finally. Besides, she wanted to sleep in a bed tonight.

Lissa decided to pipe in, her voice quickly overtaking Frederick's, as she stepped on his toes and interrupted whatever else he had to say, "Dark meat for me, medium well, and no salt in the soup. I simply" Chrom had stepped forward to say something, most likely telling Lissa they had to go, but was met with a glare from the Blonde girl.

"As I was saying, I simply can't handle the taste, and besides it's getting dark out."

Frederick stood next to her, him looking at her with a stern expression, "Then we'll camp, live off the land, make our beds out of twigs and the like."

Chrom had felt they had dwelled on the topic enough, putting a shoulder on the knight's arm, "Frederick, stop teasing her. Besides, we've yet to thank… Naruto as he was called, a proper thank you for saving Lissa's life. I think we can stay for a night, and maybe get some answers."

Frederick nodded in deference to Chrom, "As you wish, Milord."

Chrom nodded to Naruto, "Lead the way."

Ludwik began to walk to the town square, intent on gathering the Townspeople and making a grand feast to honor their Saviors, especially since it was one of their own that had done so much for Southtown's defense.

As they reached they reached the door to The Curious Manakete, Lomba grabbed the handle and twisted, revealing a rather sizable room. The counter where Naruto and Lomba conducted business was towards the back, while racks of swords and other assorted weaponry lined the right side of the shop, the left side was full of healing tonics, Concoctions and even the occasional Elixir on the shelfs, even the newly shipped Tomes had already been assorted and were now lining the shelf.

Along the middle in various isles were basic supplies, food, and even clothes. Naruto took a Concoction from the shelf, passing it along to Lomba, "Drink up Old Man."

Lomba downed the drink after he pulled the stopper, ignoring the bitter taste as the Concoction's healing properties took effect. Lomba's labored breathing returned to normal, as he took a couple steps on his own attentively, before noticing he could now support himself.

Stepping behind the counter, and made his way to the storeroom, leaving Naruto alone with the group of traveling Ylissians. Naruto grinned as he stepped behind the counter, leaning his face on his hand as he did his best impression of the Old Man's voice.

"So, Wot can I git 'ou with?"

Lissa stepped forwards, her face purely excited, "A bed please!"

Lissa and her friends were led to the storage room, before Naruto began to drag a rather large shelf into the middle of the room, and once again went to a random corner and pulled out two spare, large futons that no one had ever bothered to buy.

Naruto pointed to his right, "This will be the boy's side." Then he pointed to his left, "And this will be deemed the Girl's side."

Chrom, Frederick, Lissa, and Robin nodded, before they began to settle in, preparing for the festivities that would happen later on that day.

It would be one hell of a party.

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After the group had rested, it was late at night and Ludwik had entered the store, dragging Naruto and the others with him to the Town's Square.

"OW,OW,OW, Alright! Let go of my ear, Damnit!" Naruto groused as he stepped out of an alleyway and into the square, but his irritation was soon replaced by surprise and wonder as a loud cheer made itself known.

As Naruto looked up, he noticed the people of Southtown cheering his name, and congratulating him and Chrom's group for saving the town. A smile made its way onto his face as he ran towards the crowd, soon jumping into the crowd and cheering in victory as music started playing. (You know, the Lute and all that medieval type music at feasts).

Chrom and Frederick were grabbed as well, being dragged to a table where Naruto was already having a drinking contest with two other people. Robin and Lissa were grabbed by a giggling group of ladies, soon being asked questions and being praised for fighting just as well as the men.

"Hey Chrom! You and me, right 'ere!" Naruto called out, as he rolled up his sleeve and put his arm on the table, the men of Southtown looking on and laughing with knowing smiles. Chrom realized that Naruto meant to have an Arm-Wrestling competition, and smirked as he thought his strength would be more than sufficient.

Chrom sat across from Naruto, putting his uncovered arm on the table, A drunken Ludwik holding their hands together and letting them go as he announced "Go!"  
Chrom was struggling to throw down Naruto's hand, but was grinning as he was happy to have found a challenge. He looked up, only for his grin to fall when he saw a smirking Naruto, looking as if he was having no trouble at all.

Chrom was about to retort, but soon found himself staring at the night sky.

"What in the name of the Exalt?"

Chrom sat up, seeing the townsfolk laughing and slapping Naruto's back, Naruto laughing along with them.

Ludwik helped Chrom up, before patting his shoulder, "Don't worry about it too much, that Lad just has too much strength than what he knows to do with it all! Every single man here hasn't managed to beat 'im yet!"  
Chrom looked at the burly mountain of muscle Ludwik was, not believing that Naruto could topple him, "That must be some freakish strength…"

Frederick stepped up, wearing a simple blue tunic, and rolled up his right sleeve, revealing a very muscular arm, "I believe it is a Knight's duty to avenge his lord's honor"

Naruto's face had a drunken blush, which meant he had drunk an impressive amount of the alcohol, he usually burned off the stuff in minutes, however.

"Alright, Mr. Frederick the Stern!"  
Once again, the two's hands were held together by Ludwik, and once again he announced the beginning of the match.

Frederick expected to win easily, throwing all his strength into his arm. But his expectations were shattered as Naruto pushed right back and stared at Frederick with an amused grin.

Frederick began to sweat as Naruto increased the pressure, before throwing his arm down and Frederick met the same fate as Chrom, his sight now filled with the night sky, a loud cheer filling the evening.

Robin looked on as Naruto was congratulated on his victory by not only his fellow citizens, but by Frederick himself. She was pulled out of her musings as a local Town girl, the Brunette apprentice to a seamstress named Mary pulled her aside, "So, what do ya' think of the local Prodigy, you spend an awful lot of time lookin' over there, eh?" Mary finished with a teasing smirk, 'oooohs' coming from the other girls their age.

"Huh? Wha- I didn't, I wasn't?!" Robin sputtered out as she started waving her arms around, causing Lissa to lean in in interest.

Mary giggled, "Don't worry about it, you're just curious about that abnormal strength o' his, right? He don't seem like much, but he packs a mean sword-arm, I tell ya'!" Mary purred, looking at Naruto taking on the bigger and burly looking men of Southtown, each boasting they'd be the one to take him down.

Lissa and Robin looked over again, this time seeing Naruto being mobbed by the local children, him waving his arms around before being toppled by the kids and was being treated as a playground, before rising and began to chase them around in a game of Tag.

Mary and the group of girls behind her sighed, swooning, "He's even good with kids, ain't he perfect?"

Robin just laughed nervously, seeing the girls descend into an observation session of Naruto, "Ehehe….Sure…"

Naruto was laughing as the kids began to file in front of him, "Hey Big Bro! Do you think we can be as strong as you one day?"

Naruto ruffled the young boy's hair, "It's all in the training, I did it till I dropped, and now look at me!"

Naruto's smile lessened, however, when he noticed that two of the children weren't there, "Hey, do you know where Percival and Sonika are?"

The boy known as Brucker answered, "No, we haven't played with 'em yet 'cause we couldn't find 'em Bro."

"I'm going to look for them, mind if I play with ya' later?"

"SURE!"

Naruto filed out of the Square as he left to find the two missing kids, Robin noticing his leave, but was dragged to a food table by Lissa.

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Naruto had wondered out of town in search of the two kids, having an idea of why they left. He heard sniffling in the local graveyard, seeing the missing kids, a boy and a girl, weeping over a grave.

The boy had the same, vibrant Brown hair as his father, holding a broken Bronze Sword in his arms, he was holding the handle and hilt, part of the blade split off into a tip, his green eyes flooding the ground with his sorrow.

The girl had the same Red hair as her mother, holding onto her brother as she wept, a broken Bronze Sword Blade in her hand, wrapped in cloth, her green eyes red and puffy.

Percival and Sonika, the children of Garland

Naruto approached, kneeling down and putting a hand on each of their shoulders, the two looking on in surprise, before leaning into him and continue their sobbing.

He looked ahead, with blank eyes as he stared at the name on the tombstone.

'HERE LIES GARLAND ERIKSON, BELOVED FATHER, BELOVED HUSBAND, BELOVED FRIEND.'

Naruto clenched his jaw when he heard the children's sobs increase, and Garland's twelve Year-old son, Percival, asked him a question.

"Whyyy…Why did Dad have to die?"

"I don't know."

Garland's Eleven Year-old daughter, Sonika, only sobbed harder.

His eyes hardened, before he set the two up, and they looked into his eyes, their eyes full of tears both shed and unshed, nothing but sorrow in their hearts.

Naruto inhaled shakily, before he began to speak, "He didn't have to die… He wanted to live, to see your faces smiling, he was a good friend…. And I imagine an even greater father… He gave his life, so that others could live, he was a good man."

Percival looked at him once more, "But why… Why did he go and fight!? He doesn't fight! He…He…Dad, why did he go if he knew he could die!?" Sonika's cries increased as her brother finished his words

Naruto held the children tighter as he said five words.

"Because he was a Hero."

Naruto continued, "He was a Hero, he gave his life to save another's. He was someone who would take on someone's burdens to see them smile. He was one of the greatest friends I've ever known. Your father, died a Hero."

"He saved the Old Man, and bought time for the others to escape, and for that, if you ever need anything, if I need to come and help, I'll take on the world and Naga herself in order to help."

"After all, he helped the Old Man teach me how to be a true man."

Garland was one of the few that had taken an interest in the boy early on, and offered his help, often teaching the boy the history of the world, as well as the concept of honor. Garland was one of the people that Naruto held dearly in his heart.

And now part of his family had been ripped away from him.

"I swear it."

The two kids stood up, with a brand new glint in their eyes as they began to follow Naruto back to Southtown Square.

Percival tugged on his sleeve, his eyes burning in silent passion, his sister having the same look, "Do you think we can be strong, like you?"

Naruto looked at them, his eyes filled with both mirth and seriousness, "I have no doubts you two will be, as long as you keep your resolve and never give up."

"A winner isn't the strongest, nor the quickest or the most wise."

"The winner isn't the guy that keeps knocking people down."

Naruto continued, "It's the guy who keeps taking it, and keeps getting back up every single time."

Naruto took one last look at the Tombstone.

" _Thank you for everything. Farewell, my friend…"_

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Chrom was worried about the Blond man who had saved his sister.

He had come back with the two kids he was searching for, the children taking Percival and Sonika with them to play and cheer them up, but Naruto didn't rejoin in the merriment.

He had sat down, and began to drink, and drink, and drink.

Chrom started on his way, before his shoulder was grabbed by Ludwik, the lumberman looking at him seriously, "Don't, the Lads been through some tough times since earlier. Garland and his family were close to 'im, more than they ever knew, and he was killed by those Dastard Plegians. Let 'im be for now."

Chrom's face twisted into an expression of sadness and worry, but otherwise let Naruto be.

Robin, however, didn't

"Why are you drinking yourself under the table?"

Naruto looked at her, "Go away, let me drink in peace…"

Robin grabbed the bottle roughly out of his hand, before throwing it away and looking at him sternly, "Look, why are you so insistent on getting drunk enough to pass out? What happened, you were enjoying yourself a little while ago, and when you came back you just sat down and started to knock back the drink like a man in a desert."

Naruto looked at her, his eyes bloodshot, his expression tired, "Garland…..Their father was Garland… He was killed by those Bandits, and if… If I was just faster, stronger, maybe I could've saved him… Maybe he would be here, right now, smiling and laughing with us… Playing with his kids, dancing with his wife."

Robin's expression softened, as did her eyes. He had lost someone, someone precious and close to him, and she could only imagine the hurt he had felt.

Naruto continued, "I saw his body…. He was killed by the Plegian's leader, that Axe-user. He was laughing, ENJOYING that he killed my people, MY FRIENDS!" Naruto burst in rage, before looking down and his tone becoming quieter, "I saw him standing there, and I just got so mad… I just ran at him, and burnt him to ashes." Naruto was trembling by now, "And you know what, I LIKED it! I felt satisfied when I saw that Dastard die! What if I'm just as bad as he is?!" Naruto began to lose it, his heart and soul exhausted from the loss he had suffered, the satisfaction he had felt when he killed Garrick.

Soon his head was pressed against a shoulder, his face one of surprise. Robin had set his head on her shoulder, and was rubbing his back.

She began to speak, 'It must be hard, losing someone close… I can't begin to even imagine what that must have felt like. But do you think that Garland would have wanted you to feel bad, to blame yourself for his death?" She shook her head, "No, he would want you to smile, and remember all the good times you shared… He would want you to live your life, for him."

Robin moved closer, Naruto's sobbing and heaving coming to a halt as she spoke to him, "You can't just burden yourself. You can't just handle it all yourself, no one can. Would a man who takes satisfaction in taking a life cry when he loses someone? Would he really be surrounded by a whole town of people that cared for him?"

The Blond Amnesiac looked at the Mysterious woman with Snow White hair, as he remembered all the times he had been helped and taken care of by the people of Southtown, remembering how Garland had told him that taking a life was sometimes necessary, but he should never lose sight of himself.

He resolved to himself that he would never lose someone precious to him again.

He would protect those he deemed precious.

"Thanks…. Thank you Robin, I'm fine now" Naruto stated, separating from the Tactician, looking at her with a small grin, his eyes closed and his whiskers stretched when his grin grew in size.

Robin smiled right back, "No problem, now have some fun, it's our feast after all!"

Robin walked away, joined by Lissa as they began chatting about how Southtown was quaint, and yet full of great people.

Naruto looked at her retreating form, before switching his gaze to the group of children enjoying themselves, Percival and Sonika both having bright smiles on their faces and playing Tag with the others. A small smile making its way onto his face.

A voice that he recognized whispered in the wind.

" _Thanks for taking care of them, smile, okay?"_

Naruto whipped around, trying to find the source of the voice, desperately trying to see where it came from.

"….Garland?..."

Looking up to the sky, his grin only increased.

"Smile, huh?"

As the music began to die down, the tune lowering and switching to a slower cadence, Naruto stood up, striding up to the center of the square.

Robin was confused, everyone was pairing up and dancing in twos, as they swayed and twirled to the music. _"A slow dance?"_

She was left alone in the center, noticing that both Chrom and Frederick had both passed out drunk. She began to make her way over, before seeing Naruto making his way towards her.

They locked eyes, Naruto coming closer.

They were but three steps apart.

"Hey! Let's dance Naruto!"

Lissa had grabbed the Blond Amnesiac, putting her hands on his shoulders, giving a strange look to Robin as she passed, and began to twirl him away, dancing as the tune turned a bit more jaunty. It may have been a country kind of dance, but Lissa wasn't your classic Noblewoman. As Naruto clapped his hands, so did she.

As he stepped forward, she stepped back. And so they danced for a bit

A smile made its way to his face, "Hey, you're not half bad!"

Lissa gave a look he knew all too well, the look of a prankster, "I try!"

Naruto was then pushed back as the children had made a pile behind him, Naruto tripping on them as he gave a shout of surprise and fell.

Lissa started giving out the children high fives, 'Hah, we got you!"

Sonika looked up at her with a smile, "Wow, that was funny Big Sis!"

Lissa blushed a bright red, embarrassed at the term, "Big Sis, huh?"

She gave a bright grin, "Sure, call me Big Sis!"

The people of Southtown noticed that Naruto was soaked in some of the drink as he had tipped over a barrel of the stuff, and began to laugh and guffaw at his misfortune, Naruto himself beginning to chuckle as the laughter increased.

It was a great feast in Southtown.

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Naruto and Ludwik had ended up having to drag an Inebriated Chrom and Frederick back to The Curious Manakete, the two having apparently challenged each other to a drinking contest, neither ending the winner, but it ended as a tie as they both fell asleep at the same time.

Lissa had apologized profusely for her brother's conduct, but apparently inebriated men being dragged home was quite the occurrence in Southtown, Ludwik being the main culprit as the man continuously tested the limits of his drinking.

As they were laid in the storeroom on a large spare futon, Naruto yawned as he roughly tossed Chrom onto it, turning and muttering a 'Goodnight' to the two women of the group that were also going into the room, the boys side and girls side of the storeroom being separated by a rather large shelf.

Lomba was being passed by Naruto, before the Strange Lad stopped in his tracks, his face a little worried, "Hey, how are ya' holding up Old Man? Feeling okay?"

Lomba just grumbled a bit, "I'm fine, not like I'm dying okay? Just get some sleep, you've earned it Brat." He groused, pulling open a small Concoction and sipping it, his face cringing from the extreme bitter taste that came with the potion's healing effects.

Naruto opened his mouth to question him further, but closed it and nodded, his expression softening, resuming his trek to his room in the back of the shop.

As soon as Lomba heard the steps cease, and the sounds of light snoring, he opened up a drawer in the counter, taking out a small ledger. It was filled with incorrect numbers, the handwriting sloppy, and the goods marked on it were mostly incorrectly priced.

This was the first ledger Naruto had made for the shop, the one he made all those three years ago when he first started helping out at the shop.

Lomba looked at the terribly made ledger, before grinning, "You've sure come a long way….Brat"

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Naruto yawned as he woke up, feeling satisfied with the well-rested feeling he currently had, him stretching his arm over his head as he did so.

Naruto went to the front of the store after he had gotten dressed, awaiting Lomba's orders on what needed to be done that day.

"We need to do the monthly ledger, add up our profits an' all that business, get to it Brat!"

Naruto flipped Lomba the bird, before grumbling and grousing and making his way to the spare office, sitting down and beginning to write down the Ledger.

Lomba's eyes were drawn upwards as he heard footsteps approach, seeing Chrom and his company coming over.

"So, what can I get you with?"  
Chrom took a breath, before asking what had been on his and his friend's minds, "Naruto, it's about Naruto."

Lomba's eyes narrowed, "What about the Lad?"

Chrom gestured to his female companion Robin, before the girl stepped forward and addressed him, "Back when we were still fighting off the Plegians, me and Naruto seemed to recognize each other, I remembered his name, but….I'm not sure where. I woke up in a field yesterday, without any memories of myself, when Chrom and his group found me."

The Old Man's eyes widened, his expression one of shock, "Eh? You can't remember a lick of your past either? Just like the Lad?"

Robin's and the others were surprised by this piece of information, "Wait, what do you mean just like him?"  
Lomba gestured to the unknowing boy conducting business in the backroom, "The Brat's head is all jumbled up, I fished 'im out of the River three years ago, and the Lad said he couldn't remember a thing about himself, except 'is name"

Robin just stood there, "No way….Just like me?"

Lomba nodded, "Aye, he can't remember a thing before I fished 'im out if there, and then he showed some promise in swordsmanship, real talented he is. And the next thing I knew, the lad's a Prodigy in Magecraft, he's got the most powerful magic I ever seen."

Chrom couldn't believe it, Naruto was an Amnesiac, who had skill with both a Blade, and Tomes. Where had he heard that before?

"And the weirdest part is, the Brat keeps havin' this nightmare, that he can never remember clearly, keeps saying that it's something important, but he doesn't know why."

Robin gripped her head with her right hand, this didn't make any sense!

Lomba just continued, "The Lad's been here ever since, helping me out with the shop, keeping his talents to help me and the other villagers out every once in a while, though he was an annoying little bugger, and he still calls me Old Man" A small smile made its way onto his face, "Everyone likes 'im, he took to village life like a fish does to water, the kids respect him, the Brat's become almost like a local Icon, the greatest Lad this village has ever produced."

"But when I first saw 'im, He…He had dead eyes, the kind of eyes you get when you've lost something important, something that you had to keep safe, and failed to. He had the same look I did when my Wife died…. I didn't want the lad to end up like me, a sad old Codger who was grumpy and complained about the world all the time."

"He's a bright Lad, takes to things quickly, he'll help out anyone at the drop of a hat. He would take on the world to protect anyone of those close to him, He's talented, he's quick. The Brat really should have a bright future, a great destiny in this world of ours."

"And yet here he is, wasting away his talents in a rundown shop like this, 'repaying his debt to an Old Man' he says." Lomba looked at Chrom, his face pleading with the Royal.

"Please, when you go to the Capital of Ylisstol, take 'im with you."

Chrom's eyes widened, as he went to speak, but was interrupted by the Old Shopkeeper, "I'd never admit this in front of the Brat, but….He's like the son I never had… A brother and son to everyone in this town, he is. But… The Brat grew on me more than most."

"So I beg of you, let 'im make something out of himself"

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Naruto's voice chimed as he wrote the last piece in the Ledger, "I'm finished Old Man! Anything else nee-"

Naruto's voice dropped when he noticed the Old Man was sitting down with a serious expression, as Chrom and his company were gathering supplies.

"Hey, Old Man…What's going on?"

Lomba sighed, "Naruto, Lad, sit down." He pulled out a seat.

Naruto looked at him as if he grew a second head, the Old Man never called him by his name! Never! Not even when they first met!

"What the hell happened Old Man?"  
Lomba just looked at him with a somber look, "Naruto…I'm glad that you washed up on that river, all those years ago. You've been a great help, you don't complain, you always are willing to help others. You've got talent and then some, kid. That's why….I'm asking you to go with them to Ylisstol Lad."

Naruto stood up off his seat, "What! Why?! Why Old Man?!"  
Lomba just had a sorrowful, yet proud look on his face, "Brat, there's nothing more I'd like than for you to stay, for you to work here like usual, for me to call ya' Brat, and you to respond with Shitty Old Man."

"But you're talented Lad, you have the strongest Magic anyone here has ever seen. You have a heart of gold, and a fierce sword all the same. You are the single most strongest person to ever have been from Southtown, our pride and joy. But we don't want to hold you back."

Naruto looked at him as if he were crazy, "What are you talking about?! I still haven't paid back my Debt Old Man!"

Lomba raised his hand, "Brat, you paid your Debt a long time ago, you helped me a lot more than you think." Lomba looked down, "After Lili passed, after my Wife was gone… My life meant nothing… I thought why does an Old Relic like me get to live, while my Wife and my Daughter died… I went to the river to drown myself. But I saw a Lad no older than a child floating in there, and after I pulled 'im out, he had the same eyes as me… A lad that didn't even know why, or that he even wanted to die, and I resolved myself, that I would give it one last shot, to show that Brat… I wanted to die Lad." Lomba looked up into his charge's eyes, "You prevented that Brat."

"So I don't want you to just waste away in some rundown shop, never realizing your dreams, never really living because of some stupid sense that you owe me anything! If anything, this Shitty Old Man owes you his life! These times, when I trained you, in both sword and the ways of a Shopkeeper, were some of the happiest days of my life."

"But every bird has to spread its wings sometime."

The Old Shopkeeper took out something from the counter, sliding open a hidden drawer, revealing in his hand a large, sealed box or container of some sort.

He opened it, revealing a Crimson colored Gauntlet with armor that extended all the way to the middle of the Upper arm; its fingers colored a dark black and were designed to look like the claws of a beast, a small spike extending from the forearm, curving to where the elbow was supposed to be.

Naruto looked on in wonder, "What is this?"

Lomba grinned, before he pulled down the collar of his tunic, revealing a sizeable scar that looked pretty gruesome, "Believe it or not, this Old Man used to be a Warrior in the Ylissian Cavalry, was pretty good too, but a Myrmidon got a lucky hit and I couldn't move my left arm as well, so I was Discharged from the army. I settled down in Southtown after that, opened up The Curious Manakete, and I've been 'ere ever since."

"Wait, you were a soldier Old Man?!"

Lomba nodded, "Yep, an' this little beauty saved my hide more times than I 'an count."

"I want you to 'ave it, it's yours now Lad."

Lomba grabbed the boy's right arm, before he began fitting the piece of armor on him.

Once Lomba was finished, Naruto flexed his hand, clenching it into a fist, discovering that this glove felt…Familiar, it felt right at home on his right hand.

"Old Man…I-"

He was cut off by the Old Man handing him a bag of Gold Coins, "Here it is, your last payment for all your hard work."

Naruto was then beginning to get shoved out of the store by Lomba after Lomba forced Naruto's traveling pack onto the Lad's shoulders, Naruto protesting to the rough treatment, the local people noticing what was going on, and to Chrom and his group ahead who were leaving.

They began to follow the duo, the two acting like that the entire time they'd known each other, complaining about the other, but the smiles on their faces betrayed the mean-spirited comments they barbed each other with.

Soon Naruto was pushed to the edges of Southtown, landing next to an amused Chrom, the Royal of House Ylisse looking at him with an amused expression, 'Ready to move out Fishcake?"

Naruto protested, "Wait, I still haven't said my goodbyes to everyone!"

"Then say them now."

( **Play Broken Youth by Nico Touches The Walls.)**

Naruto turned, seeing the entire population of Southtown behind him, and soon they began to cheer, screaming his name, saying their thanks, giving their blessings.

"Go get 'em Naruto, I believe in ya'"

"Always eat full meals, take care!"

"Come back and play with us again sometime, okay Big Bro!"

"Never lose to another Drunkard in a drinking contest or I'll never forgive you, ya' got that Lad!"

"Good Luck, Naruto!"

"Yeah, show 'em what Southtown can do!"

"If you ever want to come back to visit, feel free to wash up on the river again!"

Naruto watched as Lomba stepped forward from the crowd.

"GO AND KICK SOME DASTARD PLEGIAN ASS FOR ME, BRAT!"

Naruto turned, facing the road, as he smiled while his hair shadowed his eyes, before looking forward and shouting, "YEAH, WELL DON'T BURN THE SHOP DOWN WHILE I'M GONE, SHITTY OLD MAN!"

The people of Southtown looked as the young Icon was slowly, but hesitantly making his way towards Chrom, before they all grew the same Cheshire grins as they all had the same thought. And once Lomba had cleared away the tears that had formed in his eyes, they all shouted with the Old Man.

" **GO GET 'EM, BRAT!"**

Naruto began to walk faster, quickly catching up to the others and adjusting his travel pack on his shoulders, Robin and the rest greeting him and congratulating him.

They started walking away from Southtown, before they noticed something, Naruto was sobbing.

Naruto was crying heavily, his tears falling onto the ground, his eyes filled to the brim.

And yet he had the biggest, most stupid grin on his face anyone had ever seen.

He remembered everything he had done in his home of Southtown. His first sword lesson.

His accidental Potential with Tomes.

The time he lit the Shitty Old Man on fire.

All the times the local kids had looked at him with admiration.

Naruto remembered all the good times, as well as the bad times he had in the small, insignificant settlement of Southtown, and you know what?

He didn't regret a single damn thing.

"It's okay to cry if you're happy, right?"

Wiping his eyes on his unarmored sleeve of his left arm, Naruto began to walk forward with the others, before they were nothing but silhouettes on the horizon, and soon, even those disappeared, leaving the people of Southtown standing there.

( **End Song)**

Ludwik stood next to Lomba, putting a hand on the Old Man's shoulder.

"This towns never gonna produce another Lad like 'im for the world, is it?"

Lomba looked to the local drunkard, before a wide grin formed on his face.

"That's why we gotta be proud of making a unique one like him, and show the whole world what Southtown's got!"

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Ending Theme: **Shirushi by: LiSa.**

 _A Piano plays_

 _(We see Naruto, aged 13, falling into a river, and falling deeper and deeper)_

 _(On the final notes, he closes his eyes, and the screen goes white)_

 _Machiakaari terashita_

 _Nigiyaka na waraigoe to_

 _(Naruto is sixteen again, wandering through Southtown)_

 _Rojiura no ashiato_

 _Tsutaetai amoi wa_

 _Doredake Todoitandarou._

 _Itsumo furimuite tashikameru_

 _(We see shadows approaching him from behind)_

 _Itsudatte mayowazu_

 _(Naruto looks up, seeing the darkened clouds part, revealing a shining sun)_

 _Kimi wa kitto donna boku mo_

 _Oikaketekureru kara._

 _(A Smile makes its way onto his face, as he closes his eyes and begins to remember all the times he's had in the town he calls home)_

 _Jitto mitsumeta kimi no hitomi ni_

 _(An image of him and Lomba arguing, of him studying and failing to make a Ledger, and an Image of him playing with the kids and arm-wrestling Ludwik flit by his mind)_

 _Utsutta boku ga ikita Shirushi.  
(Naruto's face gains a determined grin, as he sprints to catch up to Chrom and the others)_

 _Nandomo togiresou na kodou_

 _(Naruto stops in his tracks, gripping his head, before looking on with a shocked face)_

 _Tsuyoku tsuyoku narashita_

 _(His eyes start to tear up)_

 _Kyou O koete mitainda yooooo._

 _(We see Naruto's back facing the camera standing in a grassy field, as he looks on to see the image of a Blond Man with wild hair and Cerulean Eyes, and a Woman with Crimson hair and Violet eyes, the man being on the left, the woman on the right. In the middle of the two, a six year old boy with spiky Blond hair, Cerulean eyes, and three whisker marks on each of his cheeks was smiling brightly, as his hands were being held by the two)_

 _(Halfway through the Final Piano melody, a sakura petal falls on the camera lens, before being blown away, now revealing Naruto to be a bit older, his back still to the camera, wearing a red cloak with black flames on the bottom, the once grassy field being replaced by a desolate wasteland, as he stares down a man of similar age, a black haired youth, wearing a fur jacket, wearing a mask of a fox over his face)_

 _(The final three notes play)_

 _Dun_

 _(Naruto's hand forms a Rasengan)_

 _Dun_

 _(The strangers hand is encased in a purple, dark energy)_

 _Duunnnnnn_

 _(The last thing the camera sees, is a huge dome of blue and purple energy exploding, and the camera fades to black)._

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 _AN: Hello my people! Welcome back to the second chapter of Inescapable Fates! Well, what did you think of the chapter, good, bad, something in the middle? Naruto has officially made his way into the Shepard's midst! In the first mission of the game, after you finish it, a man in the cutscene offers you to stay in town and attend a feast in your honor, but Frederick declines, before the group moves on, this a look at what that would have been like, plus a way of showing Naruto's farewells, because these people were his friends, his family, people he trusts above all others._

 _If the people of Southtown didn't get an entire chapter to say goodbye, I wouldn't have been happy with myself. Goodbyes are hard, sometimes you don't want to let go of someone you love. But would you want to hold them back from their dreams? Would you want them to stay stagnant, when they could become so much more? The people of Southtown recognized this, and now they have paid homage to the Strange Lad that washed up all those three years ago, thanking him for bringing even the slightest amount of joy to their lives, ever since that faithful day._

 _And Naruto thanked them for all they had done, remembering the good, and the bad._

 _Whether he remembers it or not, he's achieved one of his dreams._

 _He's become the Respected Hero of his village._

 _Naruto of Southtown_

 _Naruto the Shopkeeper._

 _Naruto the Shitty Brat._

 _The legend of Naruto, and all he has and will ever accomplish, begins now._

 _LIKE, FAVORITE, AND REVIEW TO FEED ME POWER!_

 _LONG LIVE THEWACKNESS135!_

 _Bye!_


	3. Ch3 Unwelcome Change: The damned fall

_AN: Hello once again my peeps! It is I! Thewackness135 here with a new installment of Inescapable Fates! I'm trying to make a schedule for updates on my stories, and so far I think I've got something worked out._

 _I'll update Fridays and Mondays, but I usually work on two story chapters a week, so I switch on and off between stories, really depends on my mood._

 _But as you can see, I haven't updated any of my stories for about a week or two, A lot of Wood chopping and Schoolwork popped up, leaving me with little time to write. So I apologize for the longish wait._

 _By the way, a huge thanks to YukiCrewger2 for making up some stats for the abilities that Naruto has so far. It wasn't expected for you to do that, and it was a really awesome surprise. Good luck on your new story!_

 _Just to clear up a mistake that happened in the Doc. Manager, NarutoXFem!Robin is a Pairing option, and for some reason it was deleted from the first chapter, after it was posted._

 _I fixed it, by the way, so everything's chill Fam._

 _Lots of votes for Robin, Cordelia, Olivia, and Lucina._

 _Interested in a double pairing option with Naruto?_

 _Send in your double pairing suggestions, and I'll see 'em._

 _Examples:_

 _NarutoXFem!RobinXCordelia: Knuckleheaded Airborne Tactics!_

 _NarutoXLucinaXFem!Robin: Entwined Destinies_

 _Must have a Ship name, because I want to see what you guys and gals will name 'em._

 _It'll be entertaining._

 _I looked at the reviews for this story the other day, and by Golly-Gee you readers were nice!_

 _There have literally been zero bad reviews, holy shit…. This is legendary._

 _About those of you who asked if Naruto will be gaining any abilities related to transformation; It is an interesting prospect, but due to a plot thing later in the story, I regret to inform that he will not be transforming into a Taguel-like Fox._

 _No matter how awesome the premise is._

 _Because it is._

 _It is very awesome._

 _Alright, time to get back to the grind!_

 _Fonts: See first chapter_

 _STORY START!_

 **Inescapable Fates: Memories of a Shopkeeper.**

 **Ch.3: Unwelcome Change: The Damned Fall Like Tears From Heaven.**

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Naruto had thought his farewell from Southtown was heartfelt, and appropriate.

He had thought the road that opened his life up to new adventures would be exciting.

Maybe it was a bad idea to leave after midday…. And maybe it would have been better if they had told him the road to adventure would be sooooo long.

"I told you-Its getting dark already!"

Lissa also realized this.

They had left Southtown a few hours prior, and they had started to notice the sun was starting to go down faster than usual, darkness already beginning to settle across the sky. The path they had chosen was surrounded in dense forest, the wilds being green and bloomed with fervor.

Naruto scratched his cheek with his now Gauntlet-Encased arm, "Yeah, the sun went down a couple minutes ago… and I think we shoul…"

*SMACK!*

Naruto's head snapped to the side, as a steaming red mark was now on his left cheek, "Ow! Lissa! What in the name of Naga was that for?"

Lissa looked at him with fearful eyes, "B-B-But there was a bug on your cheek… They're all out now!" She cringed as she held her arms close to her body, "Noisy, disgusting bugs that buzz around and crawl all over and bite you when-"

Naruto smirked as holy retribution took place.

"Agh! Won goph in mah mouph! Blech!"

Lissa began waving her eyes around, as she began to spit everywhere and began trying to clean off her tongue, all the while making sounds of disgust.

Robin leaned over to Chrom, "Uhhh, has Lissa always been….Soooo?"

"Eccentric with bugs?" Chrom assumed, "Yeah, ever since we were kids. A centipede crawled in her dress when we were playing one day, and she spent all day trying to get it out of there!" He laughed a little towards the end.

Naruto was just standing there, laughing as Lissa continued to try and remove the taste of Mosquito from her mouth, Naruto holding up a fist as a fire lit in his eyes.

"Aw, come on now Lissa! Hardship builds character, Ya'know!" He managed to get out.

Chrom called out to him, "You mind if I interrupt? Naruto, I need some help gathering firewood."

Naruto turned, wiping a tear from his eye, "Yeah, sure."

Lissa shook her head, "I think I'll pass on the firewood." She threw her arms in the air, a small pout on her face, "I think I've built QUITE enough character for one day!"

Robin interjected, worried about any further issues, "We should probably think about food. I don't know about you, but I'm starving." She turned to see Frederick nodding.

"Yes, I think a little hunting and gathering is in order. Now, who wants to clear a campsite?"

Naruto raised his hand, "I think I'll handle the hunting, I used to do it all the time back home." He neglected to tell them that he usually…Kinda….Sorta fell asleep most of the time. They didn't need to know that.

He was NOT giving them a way to prank him.

So as He gathered up his pack, pulling out a small Wind Tome, and a Bronze Sword, Naruto made his way into the woods, intending on catching some wild game, "Maybe some Bear….Who doesn't like good old Bear."

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*GULP!*

*Snurfle!*

*Chomp!*

Chrom and Naruto were both seen eating a tremendous amount of meat. Like, a ridiculous amount of Bear meat.

"Ahhh! It's been too long since I've had Bear meat. Delicious!"

Naruto nodded at the Blue-haired Prince, "Amen, my brother! I've been told I make quite the chef in the wild!"

The others were also sitting in front of the small Campfire Frederick had made, each eating their small pieces of the wild game. Well, each of them besides Frederick and Lissa.

Chrom tilted his head in confusion, "Hey Lissa, why aren't you eating any?"

Naruto looked at her with teary eyes, "First you hit me, and now you're telling me I'm a bad cook?" He looked away, pretending to wipe tears off his face, "I thought we were friends!"

Lissa looked at the Shopkeeper, before looking to Robin, "Is that how I act? Like, all the time?"

Robin nodded, "Pretty much."

Lissa sighed, "No, It's just that…Gods, couldn't you have speared us an animal normal people eat at least?" She shook her hands in the air, "I mean, come on! Who eats Bears?! You're meddling with the food chain here!" She turned her head, "Right Robin?"

"Robin?"

*munch, slurp, munch.*

All Lissa did was sweatdrop at the sight of the Amnesiac woman shoveling the food into her mouth after that first initial bite, rarely stopping to take a breath, before once again digging in.

Naruto capitalized on this, "See, Robin doesn't mind. Just give in… The power of the meat is too strong to resist…"

Lissa dropped her head, sighing, "I suppose a person would enjoy eating just about anything after not eating for days…"

Chrom laughed lightly at his sisters antics, "Just eat it Lissa. Meat is meat."

"SINCE WHEN DOES MEAT SMELL LIKE OLD BOOTS?! Wait, I take it back, BOOTS SMELL BETTER!"

Naruto waved her off, "Maa, maa, it isn't about the smell, it's all about the taste. Try it, I used an Old Southtown recipe." He scrunched up his nose, "Smells like the rear end of a stable horse, but the taste is really something you won't expect."

Frederick nodded, "Yes, every experience makes us stronger, Milady. Even those that seem awful, or those we don't enjoy."

Lissa pointed a finger at him, "Really? Then why don't I see YOU eating, Frederick?"

Naruto leaned in, as he saw Frederick begin to sweat, and wave his hand in front of him with fervor, "Me? Oh, well….I'm not that hungry! I… I had a large lunch! Yes, quite…"

Both Naruto and Chrom looked to the Knight, "Bullcrap."

Frederick's sweating only increased, "No! Really, I took some left-overs from Southtown! I had them a while back…"

Chrom leaned in, his hands propping up his head, "Oh really? Well, Frederick the Weary wouldn't just eat a bunch of rations in one sitting. He'd plan ahead and make them last."

Frederick started scooting backwards, as Naruto gained a devilish grin and grabbed some of the Bear Meat.

"Naruto? What are you doi-! Oh Naga!"

Naruto jumped at Frederick, and began to chase him when Frederick dodged. Frederick himself trying to outrun the Fleet of Foot Blond.

Soon, he was backed up to a tree, "Now, Naruto, if you take even a step closer!"

Naruto had a sickly-sweet smile on his face, "Just let it happen Fred… We all need to have a goooood laugh…"

And so they discovered Frederick's intolerance for Gamey meats.

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"Huh?"

Chrom groggily opened his eyes, his vision blurry as he began to survey the clearing the group had made camp in. Robin and Frederick were still sound asleep, while Naruto seemed to be shifting around, his face sweaty and a little pale.

He was probably having a nightmare.

His attention was shifted to his little sister, as Lissa began to stir, "Uwaagh, Whats wrong, Big Brother?"

Chrom rubbed her head affectionately, "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you, but….. Something is amiss…"

Lissa quirked an eyebrow, "Define 'Something'."

Chrom looked around, as his sense of foreboding increased, "I'm not sure… I think I'll have a look around."

Chrom made his way to stand up, patting himself of dirt and turning to the forest. His way was blocked by Lissa's form, her arms raised at her sides, "Not alone you don't! I'm coming too!"

Chrom looked down at his sister, before chuckling a little, "Heh…Thanks Lissa"

He turned her around, before they began walking around, searching for any misfortune. Chrom looked at his little sister, before a small smile formed, _"To think, even after all these years she still tries to fuss over her big brother. Even though I'm the one who looks after her instead, she still tries her best to worry."_

Lissa noticed Chrom staring at her, "Brother, is anything wrong?"  
"No Lissa, everything's fine."

She began to turn her head in every direction, her eyes squinting in concentration, "It sure is dark though… And quiet. Where did the birds go? Even if it is late, shouldn't something be making noise?"

Chrom's hand went to Falchion, his hand tightening on the sword's handle, "Yeah, something is wrong here…" He opened his mouth again to speak, but all that came out was a surprised yell, as a sudden earthquake struck.

Lissa's legs began to shake, and she almost buckled under the immense quaking, "Aaah! Chrom!"  
Chrom began to even himself out, spreading his weight and trying to reduce the shaking he was experiencing, attempting to keep some of his balance, "Gods! What-?"

The shaking and magnitude of the quake increased.

Chrom began to look everywhere, "Agh! What in Naga's name is this madness?! Lissa, stay close!" He reached towards her, and pulled her closer, her burying her head into his chest to wait for the shaking to cease.

Chrom looked to the forest, seeing trees being knocked over at a fast rate, "Lissa…" He pulled her behind him, "Run!"  
"Brother what?"  
"I mean it, go!" And as they began to run, an intense heat became known, as Chrom took a glance over his shoulder, seeing an intense wave of flames engulfing the forest, shielding his eyes as a fireball landed near him and Lissa.

He turned to his right, "Lissa, this way!"

Once again, he grabbed Lissa and dove to his right, narrowly avoiding a blast of flame, before helping her up and running once more. He noticed her pointing to the sky, "Chrom, what is that?!"

He looked to the air, and saw a giant split in the stars.

And then it opened.

And the bodies of the damned fell from the sky.

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" _NARUTOOOOO!"_

" _SASUKEEEEE!"_

And just like always, Naruto watched as the dream came to an end with a clash of black and vermillion. The strange bat-like creature yelling his name, as he in turn yelled the creatures name.

" _Why does it always seem so…Sad?"_

What sort of being was that creature to him? A friend, an enemy?

Or was he someone like him.

As he lay there, floating in his dreamscape like always after that particular dream. Waiting to return to the land of the conscious, He always pondered on his life, who he was, what he did before he washed up in Southtown. And he always came up blank.

" **Wake up"**

" _Huh? The hell is-?"_

" **I said wake up, Ningen!"**

" _That voice…. Wait, it's! -"_

And when he turned around, all he saw was a massive crimson red eye.

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"AHUUHA!"

Naruto lurched up, his heart racing, his arm out as if he was shielding himself from something. He gripped his head as a wave of pain overcame him, gritting his teeth and waited for it to subside.

He slowly lowered his hand, and as the pain subsided, he calmed down and tried to slow his heartrate. Naruto looked around, noticing that both Chrom and Lissa were missing. "Hey, Chrom….Chrom! Lissa!"

Cursing, he went up to the sleeping Robin and nudged her shoulder, "Hey, Robin…Robin, wake up."

The White haired Tactician grumbled in her sleep, reaching out and attempting to pull him closer, and looked at him with a sleep addled face, "Mgmgfh, just five more minutes… I'm so comfy."

Resisting the urge to comply with her wishes, he gestured for her to look around, "Chrom and Lissa are gone, and I think."

He was cut off as a tremor began to shake the ground, Robin being wide awake as it took effect. She put both of her hands on the ground to steady herself, as Naruto stabbed his Bronze Sword into the ground and was kneeling on the ground.

"What in the Gods!"

Naruto looked to his left, seeing Frederick had awoken with the tremor, as he was rushing to his horse to calm it down.

*BOOM!*

A loud explosion roared through the air, and the group saw as a wall of flame began to engulf the forest, trees being bowled over and burnt to a crisp. "Everyone okay!"

Robin shrugged, "As far as I can tell."

Frederick nodded, "Me and my steed are fine as well."

Naruto sighed in relief, wiping some sweat off of his brow, "That's good, but we need to get a move on before these flames catch up to us, and we still need to find Chrom and Lissa."

"CHROM!"

Naruto and the others turned to where the distant shout of Lissa's voice rang out, covering their eyes as another flash of flame burst from the trees. Naruto was going to-

*ba-dump*

*Ba-dump*

Naruto stopped in his tracks, as his head felt a pulse go through it. His head began to throb, as a bright light began to shine in the sky.

He slowly looked up, seeing a giant crack in the air, the sky splitting apart to reveal a massive eye, and as it looked around the group noticed that bodies began to protrude from the opening.

Naruto turned to the others, before waving his Gauntlet-Encased arm over his head, "C'mon, we gotta find Chrom and Lissa!"

And as they ran into the forest, towards the source of Lissa's shouts, they never noticed the eye that was in the portal begin to bleed red, as a cloaked figure descended onto the earth.

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Chrom was having a bad time.

First the world decided to explode, and now bodies were raining from the sky?

Not good at all.

"Lissa, you alright?" Chrom asked, as he looked to his sibling, noticing her patting her dress off, dirt now puffing off of it, as she gripped her staff in her hand. She pulled the bottom of her dress, getting it comfortable, before addressing Chrom.

"Yeah, but what is going on? Are those….People?"

Chrom looked on to the gaping hole in the sky, seeing that the figures were still dropping from it. The sky turned red due to the flames, fire raining from the sky.

He saw as two of the figures emerged from the woods, revealing themselves to be…Human? The…Beings seemed to be humanoid, but…Their very presence just seemed perverted and wrong, as if their very existence was blasphemy unto the world. The beings looked like men, dressed in standard warrior garb, but instead of faces, they had some sort of mask for a face, their eyes dark, empty and an ethereal purple or black.

As they noticed both Chrom and Lissa, hisses and demented groans escaped their maws, their movements rigid and sloppy, and yet somehow powerful and skilled.

Chrom drew Falchion from its sheath, "Lissa, get behind me!"

As Lissa moved behind him, one of the humanoids rushed forwards with a battle cry, a despair-filled moan emanating from it, brandishing an Iron Axe above its head, the blade caked in dirt and slightly rusted.

It jumped into the air, landing as it slashed at Chrom, the prince dodging and landing a horizontal cut on the creatures abdomen. Normally, this would fall even the greatest of combatants, but as if it wasn't even registering any sort of pain, the creature cracked its neck and snapped its head backwards and stared at the Prince, swinging the weapon in its possession.

Chrom jumped backwards, flinging himself back to avoid the strike, readying himself for another clash. They clashed again, Chrom locking Falchion against Iron Axe as he grunted in exertion, pushing with all his might against the Warrior. He pushed forwards with a cry, knocking his opponent onto the ground, before he jumped into the air and stabbed Falchion into his opponent's spine.

The creature quickly dissolved into smoke, Chrom giving a look of surprise at the fact; at least it saved him some clean up time.

"Chrom!"

He looked up at his sister's shout, seeing that the second creature had advanced towards her and had backed up Lissa to a boulder, any paths for escape cut off.

"LISSA!"

Once again, Chrom found himself running towards his sister, hand outstretched, trying to be faster, hoping against all odds he would reach her. Memories of Southtown flooding his mind, only this time.

Naruto wasn't here to block the strike.

Chrom saw as the Axe rose, and began to fall.

Lissa looked up into the eyes of her attacker, seeing the cold, dark eyes as the Axe rose. She looked deep, as the Creature stared right back at her, and something happened. She saw regret, and anger, and sorrow, an unwillingness to strike her down, as if it was being forced to do it.

And yet. The Axe still fell.

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"Shiiiiiiit!"

Naruto dodged another falling tree, his right arm covering his eyes from the embers floating in the air as he, Robin, and a Mount riding Frederick searched for the Royals of the group. He was expecting a simple earthquake, and maybe a forest fire.

He wasn't expecting for entire hills to rise out of the ground and break off from the rest, Magma spilling from the earth. It was a picture example of what many thought the beginning of the Apocalypse looked like.

As he once more dodged a fireball from the sky, he pulled Robin out of another's way, receiving a small thanks for his efforts from the Snow-Haired Tactician.

Soon enough, they reached a clearing where fire wasn't an immediate danger, and the smoke wasn't filling their lungs. Naruto wiped some sweat off of his brow, looking to Frederick, "See anything?"

Frederick shook his head, "I'm afraid not. I didn't see a single sign of Milord Chrom or Lady Lissa during our escape from the flames."  
Naruto gripped the handle of his sword, "Damnit!"

Naruto went to Robin, "Tell me if anything changes, I'm gonna see if I can get a better view from the trees."

And so Naruto went to the nearest tree and scrambled up it with ease, he always felt really comfortable in trees, almost at peace even, a sense of familiarity overcoming him every time he moved through them. He climbed to the tallest branch, poking his head out of the tree and seeing he was currently above the smoke and the flames, searching for any signs of his companions of royal blood.

As Naruto focused on finding his friends, he failed to notice the figure that fell from the heavens.

Right on top of him.

"What the?!"

Naruto felt the weight crash on him, sending both him and the figure tumbling from the tree and to the ground, Naruto instinctively curling himself up and shielding the other person from most of the damage.

As they reached the ground, and fell in a heap, Robin rushed to his side and grabbed a concoction out of her supplies, noticing the figure that fell with him.

It was a rather well-dressed youth, whose hair was a blue color that was quite like Chrom's, wearing a blue combat outfit with armor at points. The hair was pulled up to appear short, and their face was covered by a blue, butterfly shaped mask. The mask had three horizontal slits where the eyes were, allowing the person to see without complications.

As they pulled themselves off the ground, Naruto looked at the person, "Hey, who in the Gods are you?"

The youth merely patted themselves off, before clearing their throat after that rather embarrassing entrance, "Ahem… You may call me…Marth."

Naruto raised an eyebrow, "Marth, like the Lodestar Marth? Hero-King of all Ylisse Marth?"

"Yes."

Naruto pointed at them, "Quite arrogant, aren't you?"

The normally calm youth gained a tic-mark, although it went unnoticed by the rest of the people. And said in little more than a whisper, "Yeah, like your one to talk…"

Naruto heard this, and addressed Marth, "What did ya mean by that?"

Marth did seem oddly….Familiar. As if he knew the person. Marth gave off the same feeling as…Robin did…. Were they connected somehow? That would explain why he instinctively shielded Marth from most of the damage from the fall.

Naruto felt a finger poking his shoulder, before he turned around and saw Robin holding up a Concoction for him to drink; he took it and thanked her, his face wrinkling at the extreme bitter flavor.

All of a sudden, the mysterious Marth burst to the east, running in a full sprint and catching the group off guard, Naruto and the others giving quick chase, Naruto starting to catch up, before he burst through the trees.

He saw Marth blocking an Iron Axe to defend Lissa, much like he had in Southtown, before Chrom rushed forwards and the two landed dual blows against it, the Mask creature falling to the ground and dissipating into smoke, as both Chrom and Marth sheathed their blades.

Chrom began, "Quite an entrance…What's your name?"

But before Marth could begin, they were interrupted by a certain someone, "They call themselves Marth."

Naruto finished walking into the area, Robin and Frederick finally catching up, "We ran into Marth a little while ago, searching for you and Lissa. Although, the entrance was much less….Heroic."

Frederick burst into the scene, "Milord! Milady! Are you hurt?!"

Lissa saw the others, "Frederick, Robin, Naruto!"

Naruto saw more of the dark creatures making their way towards them, "Chrom, what the hell are these things?!"

Robin agreed, "Yes, are such horrific creatures commonplace in these lands?"

Chrom looked to the oncoming enemies, "They're not from Ylisse, I can promise you that…" Frederick took this time to intervene, "No one is hurt then? Thank the Gods…"

Lissa nodded, before indicating a direction, "Thank the Masked-Man who saved me! If it wasn't for him, I'd be…" Nobody was there, apparently Marth had left, "Hey, where'd he go?!"

Naruto nodded, "We can search for him later, AFTER we put these…Things…Down in the ground."

"Be careful now. We know nothing of this enemy." Frederick stated.

Chrom nodded, "Right."

He pointed to Robin, "Robin, got any ideas?"

The Female Tactician nodded, "Yes, you, Naruto and Frederick are the heavy hitters, right? So while you guys are dealing damage, I'll stay behind and cover Lissa and we'll move in if you guys get low on health and need a patch-up."

Naruto looked at Chrom, who had already paired up with Frederick, "So the plan is to slash until they stay down, and not get too roughed up?"  
He received a nod.

Naruto grinned, "My kind of plan, simple, and effective."  
And so they moved forwards, Naruto being used as a scouting unit as he was the first in the party, spotting a nearby structure, "Yo, Frederick! We have some abandoned Forts here!"

Robin glanced at where he was pointing, "Then we should take shelter in them whenever possible, yes? No doubt they'll give us some sort of advantage during battle."

Naruto looked at the structure, before scaling a nearby tree, scouting ahead, "So far, I see about two Fighters, two mercenaries, and an Archer….. There's another one, but it looks kinda tough…"

Chrom nodded, "Must be the leader then… We should weaken their forces before we should try to take it on."

Naruto agreed, "Aye."

Naruto hefted his Bronze Sword over his shoulder as he swung down, and pulled out a Wind Tome from his bag, "I'm gonna go off and try to get as many as I can, see ya after we finish these Dastards!"

Naruto ran off, as Robin began to formulate a plan from the information Naruto had provided.

Tome from his bag, a nearby agais fac

Naruto had said he was going to go and slay as many of these creatures he could, and he was, but it wasn't the whole truth. He was actually going to search for the only other person that had given him the same sense of familiarity as Robin.

Marth.

Yes, the mysterious youth made the Blond curious, and Naruto wanted to see where they went. The creatures were still out here, and even if Marth was good with a Sword, there was still too many unknowns out here to leave him alone out here.

As he was running , he caught sight of a Fighter blocking his way.

Brandishing his Bronze Sword, Naruto sidestepped a diagonal slash, before rolling underneath another strike, rising into a reverse strike of his own. He thought it was over, but was surprised when his opponent merely shrugged the fatal blow off, and continued to fight. Naruto blocked the slash, before switching his grip and ducked underneath another strike, catching his weapon in his mouth and ripping his head to the right, slashing the Fighter's throat, before once again jumping back to avoid a slash.

"Naga-Damnit, just fall already!"

Seriously, what does it take to kill these things?!

Naruto pulled out his Wind Tome, before he lead the Fighter near the flames of the forest, diving behind the wall of flames, and pointing his Tome filled hand at the flames.

" **Wind!"**

As the now Elwind sized blades of wind reached the flames, they exploded in a burst of fire, both burning and slicing his opponent. Nothing recognizable remained of the Fighter, now being a charred, cut up lump of meat, before it began to dissolve into smoke like its brethren.

"Note to self: Over the top kills finish the Dastards off."

Wiping some sweat off of his brow because of the heat, he looked around to see any sign of the Blue-haired stranger. He bent down, before noticing a faint, yet recent footprint of a boot, leading to a path where more of the same footsteps were found.

"Gotcha!"

Naruto pumped his legs and began to sprint in the indicated direction of the footsteps, his hunting skills coming into play. Hoping he would get some answers, or at least clarify some things about the person who was called Marth.

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"Frederick, flank him! Chrom strike now!"

Robin's voice was heard above the roaring of the flames, her voice barking out orders to her comrades. The Tactician's mind racing as she continuously thought of efficient ways to deal with the enemy with minimal injuries. Constantly coming up with back-up plans, and contingencies for even those back-up plans.

Lissa was doing her duty of using her Cleric skills to rid the heavy hitters of fatigue and any injuries, effectively making them a never tiring machine of destruction for their enemies.

Everything was going smoothly, they had encountered one of the enemy Fighters and a Myrmidon, and even if it took much more effort to fall them, each of them had come out relatively fine.

Robin and Chrom turned their heads, as another Creature tore through the woods, readying their weapons for another fight, clenching their weapons tight in their hands as they prepared themselves.

And then they saw that it was currently moving because it was being carried after being impaled on a Lance. The owner being a person moving at high speeds on a mount.

The Creature wailed in agony, before the Lance-tip was driven deeper into its body as it was rammed into a tree, slumping over and hanging off the Lance. It then turned into smoke.

As Robin observed the Rider, she noticed it to be a Woman of about 5'7 in height, with muscular arms and frame, that still kept her femininity. She wore armor that was as red as her short, curly hair. Her face was set in a stern glare that was fixed upon the spot the Creature had just died.

"Serves you right! Now I just need to find the Captain and alert him."

Turning her steed around, she faced the group as the smoke made it hard to distinguish anything in the heat of battle, "Alright you Ash-Faced Freaks! Which one of ya wants to try my Lance on for size next! I know just the spot for it, shoved right up your-!"

Chrom interjected, "Hey, hey, hey Sully! Calm down a second, it's us! It's us!"

The now named Sully strained her eyes in their direction, "Captain Chrom? You're that voice I just heard?"

"Yeah, Lissa and Frederick are here as well, as well as a newcomer named Robin, the one in the cloak." Chrom replied.

Sully huffed, but otherwise remained calm. She then dismounted her steed, moving in closer to the group, and began to examine Robin, "So…. You're a newbie huh…" She moved closer, Robin flinching at the scrutiny. After a while, Sully gave an appreciative hum and smacked her in the back, "You look like you can handle yourself in a scrap! Alright, you're fine by me!"

Sully wasn't a complicated person, if you could fight, you were good in her books.

The next person….. Not so much.

"Ah! Wait my fair maiden!"

A rather Noble-dressed figure emerged, with long blue hair and equally blue armor. He was rather well-featured, but had a lithe stature, built for speed and precision if anything. He also carried a bow in hand and a quiver on his back.

Sully sighed, "Damnit Virion, I told you to keep up."

The now named Virion shook his head, "I tried to match your passion with my own, but The Archest of Archers cannot match a mount in terms of speed!"

Chrom facepalmed, "Not this crap again."

Virion continued, "Life may be long, but attraction is fleeting! Would you leave me in your sweet dust?" He dramatically gestured his hand wide, "Leave war to the warriors, dear bird! A beauty such as you need wage only love."

Robin sweatdropped, "The heck id this…"

Virion shifted his attention to Robin, "Ha! Is the lady intrigued?" He shook his head, "Nevermind, of course you are, it's only natural." The Blue archer began to sway in place, "I am myth and Legend! I am he who strides large across history's greatest stage!" He jumped up, landing in a dramatic pose, "The man who puts the 'Arch' in 'Archer'! My name, dear lady, is Vi-!"

Sully just roughly pushed him back, "Sorry Ruffles, but we got incoming!"

The group noticed more of the Enemy approaching, a Fighter, and an Archer.

Virion put a last line in in vain, "Wait, beautiful Sully! At least marry me!"

Sully glared at him, "This better be a joke. And when I shove my boot through your face, THAT'S the punchline!"

"Enough! We got inbound!" Came Chrom's shout.

Not one for letting his performances being cut short, Virion glared at the other Archer as an arrow whizzed by his head, "No one, and I mean no one, cuts off the Archest of Archers!"

He knocked an arrow, before letting it loose, watching as it sailed through the air and found its mark, burying itself in the opposing Archers skull.

Sully hopped up and settled herself on her steed, Frederick joining her alongside each other in a gallop towards their opponents.

Chrom himself stayed behind, watching as both Sully and Frederick pierced the Fighter and stabbed him through the torso from each side.

More of the creatures approached, Chrom rushing forward and swinging Falchion with deadly power and precision, felling another.

Robin used a spell from her Thunder Tome, before getting in close and stabbing another through its throat, and once again sending a Thunder through its body, ending its 'Life'.

That left only two of the enemy left.

A Fighter.

And its leader, a Hulking mass of muscle and doom, easily standing at the height of even Frederick when he was sitting on his mount.

It bellowed a war cry, before preparing its blood-encrusted Throwing Axe.

Lissa readied herself for some of the healing that was bound to happen in the near future.

After all, it was a fight with an unknown enemy.

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Naruto was getting tired of running.

Not that he was tired necessarily, but was finding the act of trying to locate Marth harder than he thought.

He had already been following the trail at a sprint, but so far he had no luck in finding the Sword-Wielding Youth, but the trail of footprints was getting fresher, and looked more recent. So with a final push, he resolved himself in finding Marth.

He stopped as he heard the sound of Blade clanging and clashing with another Blade, the familiar ringing sound filling his ear. He turned to his right, facing the direction the sound originated from, rushing off to find its source.

Bursting from the treeline, he saw Marth locking blades with one of the creatures, and heard him shout "Die already, you damned Risen!"

So they were called Risen? No wonder they seemed like corpses and didn't respond to fatal blows.

Deciding to step in, he prepared to move in, before seeing something peculiar.

Marth slipped to the right, before slashing the Risen Warrior in the chest, and using his blade as a crutch for the needed force, used both legs to kick the Risen into the air. Quickly regaining his footing, Marth pulled his sword out of the ground and held it up, as the Risen landed on the Blade after its flight.

Naruto stood there stunned. That was his Signature Maneuver! His Critical Technique Finisher! How the hell did Marth know that!

Naruto trudged up, Marth turning and lowering their Blade as Naruto approached, "How?"

Marth tilted his head, "What do you mean?"

Naruto swiped his arm in front of him, "How the hell do you know that move! I spent years working on that combo, and you just performed it almost as good as me!"

Naruto noticed that Marth looked shaken up, obviously not expecting that Naruto had witnessed him execute the move, "A friend taught it too me… An old one…"

Naruto once again felt a pulse go through his head, before calming down, "….Do I know you?"

Marth took a step back, "What?!"  
Naruto only persisted, "I'm asking you if I know you… I don't really have any memories since before three years ago…. So I guess I'm asking if you know who I am….Who I was…"

Marth looked like they wanted to say something, slowly raising his right hand, his mouth opening as if to speak, before he dropped his hand and said slowly, "No, I don't know you….I'm sorry."

Naruto turned downcast, as his head bowed slightly, "Is that so… Well anyways, it looks like we got company."

Naruto pointed at the Tree-line, as more of the…'Risen' emerged, specifically a Fighter, a Myrmidon, and two Mages, "Let's say we put 'em to the Blade before we continue, eh?"

Marth nodded, "That's acceptable."

And so they rushed forward, Naruto leading with a Wind Tome in his left, and a Bronze Sword in his right, and Marth at his left, slightly behind him.

Naruto reached the Fighter first, blocking an overhead strike, before he roughly thrust his blade to the left, rending his opponent defenseless as Marth cut the Risen Fighter down with a quick Decapitation.

Naruto proceeded to aim his left hand at the Mages, " **Wind!** "

A Gale of Wind blades rushed towards the Mages, the Risen duo casting their own magic as two gales of wind of their own collided with Naruto's. The Blond Amnesiac once again cast his spell, " **Wind!** " Adding onto the already massive power in his previous spell, quickly overwhelming the Risen's Wind Spell and charged forward, ripping the Mage on the left apart, while the other barely managed to dodge.

Naruto was about to cast a spell, but found out his Wind Tome was out of uses, now becoming nothing more than a mere book with silly scribbles. So he did the next best thing.

He chucked the now Useless Tome at the Risen Mage.

And it hit HARD.

Naruto rushed the now dazed Mage, before grabbing it by the shoulder and shoving his blade into its gut, tearing his blade to the side and then sliced at the Risen's back, the Mage's moans of despair finally ceasing.

Marth was also having quite the easy time, the Myrmidon Risen Marth was facing was still rather sluggish, most likely due to the fact it was a corpse.

Marth performed an upwards slash, before hitting his opponent in the face with his sword's hilt, stunning his opponent and getting in close. Finishing the battle with a quick, yet powerful thrust to its chest.

Naruto inhaled and calmed his battle senses, as the smoke from the dissolving Risen began to fade into the air, he noticed the condition his sword was in, it was chipped, and was definitely looking worse-for-wear. The Bronze Sword had definitely seen better days, but would have to do until he could safely replace it. At best, it maybe had Ten more uses in it before it broke.

"RAAAAAAWRGH!"

Both Naruto and Marth had their heads shoot up at the sound of the massive, and unhuman like bellow that arose from the west, crows and other carrion birds flocking and flying away from the sound.

Naruto decided to speak, "I think that Chrom and the others need some help."

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"NAGA-DAMNIT!"

The Prince of Ylisse cursed for the fifth time in a row.

No matter what they hit it with, the damn thing just refused to die!

The Risen Chief simply took what blows it couldn't block with ease. Hell, some of their weapons wouldn't even pierce its skin!

Chrom rolled out of the way of another slash, narrowly avoiding being bisected by the Behemoth Risen before them.

Lissa couldn't get anywhere near them to help with her healing, and so far only he, Robin, and Frederick had been able to do any real damage against it.

" **Thunder!** "

Robin's cry echoed through the night, as the Axe the Risen had been wielding was now conducting some serious voltage, but other than that, nothing much happened, other than allowing Chrom another strike v=before he once again had to dodge.

Robin's mind had been racing at a thousand miles all the time during this confrontation, searching for ways to make this fight end sooner. It was her duty as a Tactician to come up with a winning strategy, and now was her time to shine!

She garnered the attention of the Risen Chief through her previous actions, the Chief now focused on her. Now all it had to do was….. _"NOW!"_

Robin aimed her Spell Tome at the Risen Chief, " **Thunder!** " and aimed at its legs, managing to land an effective blow on the left leg, before she rushed forwards and used her Bronze Sword to slice through where the Tendon would be in the Risen's right leg, before she quickly jumped back, and admired her handiwork.

The chief could no longer support its own weight, it was off-balance, and was now slowed.

But that wasn't the worst of it for the Risen.

It faltered, before it began to fall backwards, losing its footing and balance.

And landed straight into the raging flames of the Forest Fire.

"AWAAAAAAAARGH!"

It shrieked and roared in pain and anger, as the Flames began to cover its form, encasing it in a cocoon of fire.

Robin looked to her teammates, before giving a small smile of relief.

Chrom, Lissa, and the others also began to relax.

Robin then saw the massive shadow rising from behind her, the shadow of an Axe rising from behind her.

Thus was it, her plan had failed.

"Not on my watch!"

A small, intelligent smile made itself known on Robin's face.

Nah, she was just stalling for time until Naruto got here!

Naruto ran from the bushes, charging at the Risen Chief and matching its roar with one of his own, and blocked a strike aimed to take his head off, before rolling to his left.

Naruto then jumped off the ground, avoiding another slash, and began to trade blows with the massive creature. For every scratch he earned, a larger gash would appear on his opponent. Every slash, every parry, every block was calculated.

Naruto was truly a genius on the battlefield, it was one of the few places where everything made sense. You slashed, and someone either blocked, dodged, or was injured. Battle was simple.

The battles participants, however, were not.

Naruto could let himself go during a fight, it gave him a feeling of familiarity, as if it was something he had grown accustomed to for all his life. His talents mostly related to fighting anyway, and he never showed ingenuity quite like he did on the battlefield.

He blocked once more, before launching himself in the air, brandishing his last Wind Tome he had prepared for the trip, " **Wind!** " And was launched higher in the air, before he pointed the Tome in the air, as gravity started to take effect on his body as he fell back to earth.

" **Wind!"**

Naruto shot towards the ground like a bullet, his cracked weapon shining a faint gold, as he prepared the decisive strike of the battle.

He reached his opponent, before slashing down with all his might.;

" **FALLING STAR!** "

Naruto sliced through the Throwing Axe that his opponent had been wielding, but as he looked at the shards of metal produced, noticed that his weapon had shattered as well.

Taking the jagged edge of his now broken Bronze Sword, he shoved it into the Risen Chief's Eye, twisting it around and tearing it out, before jumping off its torso and shoving his Shattered weapon into the Risen's chest, creating a large, jagged gash all across the Risen's body as he descended back to the ground.

The Risen let out one, last groan of pain, before it went limp and fell onto its back, and began to smoke, eventually dissolving and fading from existence.

Marth saw the group settle, and decided to approach.

Frederick dismounted, and began to address the others, "It seems that all the creatures have been vanquished. This young man." He indicated to Marth, "Took care of the others."

Marth remained silent.

Lissa approached the stoic swordsman, "Um… I never got to thank you…. For before. So… Thank you, you were very brave."

Chrom bowed in respect, "It seems strangers saving my sister has become a bit of a running gag lately, so I thank you for helping her."

"Where'd you learn to fight with a blade?"

Marth stiffened, before responding, "I'm not here to talk about me." He became solemn, before resuming, "This world teeters at the brink of a horrible calamity. What you saw tonight was but a prelude." He turned, and began to walk away, "You have been warned…."

Naruto was confused, "Hey! What does that mean?! Whats happening, hey, wait!"

Robin sighed, "Not much for conversation, is he?"

Frederick nodded, "It appears his skills lie elsewhere… I wager we'll hear his name again…" Frederick began to walk back to his mount, the others also preparing to move soon, "But for now, I'm more concerned about the Capital. We should make haste."

As the others began to walk towards the Capital of Ylisse, Naruto looked back to the trail Marth had taken, seeing no sign as to where he had gone, "Marth…Huh…"

He turned, before he gripped his head as another headache ripped through his mind.

He saw a single image.

One as if he was looking through his own eyes.

Of a little blue haired girl, smiling at him and reaching for him to pick her up.

Naruto shook his head, pondering on what the image meant.

"What the hell is going on with me…"

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 _AN: Hello my people! I hope you enjoyed this chapter of Inescapable Fates! Naruto-Boy is experiencing some difficulties with the stranger known as Marth! But he and the others are soon reaching the capital!_

 _Once again, I'd like to thank all those who have supported this story, and another thanks to YuukiCrewger2 for giving me some stats for Naruto's ability._

 _As you can see, Naruto is OP in the beginning of the story, but Robin could literally be made into a walking tank within the first few levels of the game, so I don't see much reason as too why Naruto can't be a little OP in the beginning._

 _Updates might come randomly, although I guarantee you won't wait 3 weeks until I update again._

 _Remember, LIKE, FOLLOW, FAVORITE, AND REVIEEEEEEEW!_

 _FEEEED MEEE POWAH! REVIIIIIEWWWWWWWWW!_

 _BYE!_

 **OMAKE: Different World, Same Old Problems:**

 _Naruto was simply fed up with the shenanigans of this worlds residents._

 _They were insane._

 _They were weird._

 _You think he would've liked it here?_

 _But no, he had simply had enough of the friggin fishlady throwing spears at him, he was tired of the Skeleton that was trying to capture him, and force feed him spaghetti._

 _He was definitely tired of that weird, dancing robot that was a complete Narcissist._

"Nyehehehehehe! Found you Human!"

 _Naruto facepalmed, "Kami-Damnit…."_

 _The person….Skeleton in question was rather tall, covered in an orange and white ensemble, that was completed with a scarf._

"Now, prepare for another japing puzzle from the great Papyrus!"

 _Naruto sighed, "How about no…"_

 _Papyrus visibly deflated,_ "Ohh c'mon, just one _!"_

" _No."_

" _One!"_

" _No!"_

 _Papyrus just lifted up his hands, and pointed to him,_ "Oho, you are just afraid you're not smart enough to solve them, well, I don't blame you. After all, I, the great Papyrus thought of them!"

 _Naruto cracked his knuckles, "First, I fall from the Kami-Damned sky, land hard on my back in some flowers, a FUCKED UP Dandelion tries to kill me, and now I have to deal with a bunch of crazy people trying to steal my soul!"_

 _Papyrus started to get nervous,_ "Hey, hey, ehy, just calm down…. No need to fight here…. For your sake of course…"

 _Naruto once again sighed, "Sans, come out and take your brother before I knock him into next week."  
A much shorter skeleton emerged from the snow, wearing a blue hoodie and shorts, and was wearing slippers on his feet, _" **Yeah, Bro is kind of a… Bone Head**!" _  
Naruto grinned at the sight of one of the few people that actually was chill with him. Sure, Papyrus had wanted to fight him at first, but now he was a friend, no matter how difficult he could be sometimes._

 _Naruto gave a little smile, before he retaliated, "You know Sans, you can be…. Quite Humorous!"_

 **"Heh, good one.** "

 _The ground began to shake, before a small, yellow flower emerged from the ground, an arrogant smirk on its face, "You know, you should just give up and die…. HYAHYAHYAHYA!" Its face morphed into that of a hideous creature, as it gave a psychotic laugh._

 _It stopped, as it noticed the three staring at it._

 _Naruto began, "You should really stop harassing me, because if you keep going down this road…" His eye changed to a red color, as a Rasengan formed in his hand._

 _Sans finished for him, his eye glowing, "_ **You're gonna have a bad time!** "

 _And for the first time in a long time, Flowey knew fear._

 _He then proceeded to get Dunked On._

 _Insert Megalovania!_

 _DO ITTT!_

 _ **GEEEEEETTTTTTTTT DUNKED ON!** _


	4. A City of Shepherds

_AN: Hello once again my people! Welcome to another Chapter of Inescapable Fates! I appreciate all of you supporting this story, and I'll try my best to live up to your expectations!_

 _Last chapter, I said that there were no negative reviews yet._

 _I shouldn't have Naga-Damned Jinxed it._

 _Exillion: "This is fucking bullshit. This isn't even a Crossover. Just pretending it to be. How pathetic are you that you want reviewers that badly?"_

 _First of all: What?_

" _This isn't even a Crossover"_

 _What the shit?_

 _The sheer stupidity of this statement astounds me._

 _Over half of the Crossovers on this section of the site are stories that just take Naruto out of his universe and put him somewhere else, and see how he affects the story._

 _So if this isn't a Crossover, apparently over 70% of the stories in the crossover section on this site aren't either._

 _So, write me an essay on why this isn't a Crossover, and please explain in detail how much of a piece of shit I am, please do go on about it. Make my day motherfucker._

 _Because if you think I'm going to stop writing just because you said some No-No words in your flame, You my friend:_

 _Are. Dead. Fucking. Wrong._

 _Ahem….. Okay, enough of me being a ranting Fuckbag._

 _Sorry about that ._

 _Well, it's time I point and laugh off this problem like I do to every other problem in my life._

 _I'm a sad fucker, aren't I?_

 _In response to a Reviewer name YukiCrewger2: Yes, Naruto's class Spellsword is a base class, meaning it levels up to 20 before he can use a Master Seal to upgrade into an advanced version of the Spellsword class. What that Advanced Class is, however, is something you will have to wait and see about._

 _Master Seals are god._

 _And to another Reviewer named GreyMan19: I saw the pairing names, and the one for NarutoXLissaXLucina almost made me cry from laughing: "Should I call you Father, or Brother Chrom?" Oh my Naga, yesss! That is Awesome! Thanks for the nice words!_

 _Another NarutoXLissaXLucina pairing name from a reviewer was "Chrom's urge to kill rising."_

 _I knew having you guys and gals come up with the shipping names was a great idea, there was some funny stuff in there!_

 _And before I move on, You can vote twice, but only once per pairing you want to see, like you can vote for Enamored Amnesiacs and Red Wings of Fate, but not twice for either one. You get two votes, and can only use those votes once per pairing. I hope that cleared some things up._

 _Are you ready for the chapter?_

 _Too bad! First disclaimers!_

 _Fonts: see first chapter._

 **DISCLAIMER: Thewackness135 does not own either Naruto, or Fire Emblem Awakening; If I did, I would have made the future kids dialogue unique for each of their parents, based on who they were instead of having generic parent dialogues.**

 **LET'S A GO!**

 **Story: Inescapable Fates: Memories of a Shopkeeper.**

 **CH.4: A City of Shepherds.**

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Ylisstol.

The Capital city of the nation of Ylisse.

A bustling city full of lively citizens, who had been thriving in the era of peace that had been taking place, and still prospered even with Plegia threatening said peace.

This city, this utopia, is where we find our heroes.

"So this is Ylisstol, Capital of Ylisse…I've never seen so many people!"

This cry of wonder and bewilderment was from the Snow-haired Robin, looking around as people began to go about their daily business, the streets filled with people of various vocations and ways of life.

The group had arrived near midday when the shops began to open, so it was getting rather crowded, as they made their way through the crowd of people.

Naruto nodded, a wide smile on his face, his very body shaking in excitement, "Hell yeah! If only we had this many people coming to The Curious Manakete back in Southtown! I'd be rich!"

Seems that he would never outgrow that Shopkeeper mentality.

He began to turn his head in all directions, seeing all the various people do their business. He'd never seen this many people in one place before!

Frederick had stayed on his mount, heading the group as to part the crowd and make a path for the others to walk, "It seems that the capital was spared the chaos and madness we encountered. Thank the Gods."

Frederick's eyes began to survey the area, "I see no evidence of the great quake, it must have been limited to the forest."

Chrom, who had been admiring the sight of his home city once again, nodded and gave a sigh of relief.

The Spritely Cleric of the group gave a bright smile, and also gave a breath of relief, "Well, that's a relief! I can't imagine if those things made it into the city…"

Naruto's head turned, as a sudden outburst from inside the crowd of people startled him.

"Look! The Exalt has come to visit us!"

The clapping of many hooves striking stone arose above the clamor of the crowd, as people began shoving through the poor Shopkeeper to see if it was truly the Exalt.

Naruto was swept up in the crowd, all the while getting pin-balled between people, making indignant squawks as he was carried away.

"Hey! Who- Wha! Watch out!"

He stumbled to a halt, as the crowd finally stopped pushing him, and came to a stop.

He looked up, seeing a regal, and proud-statured Blonde woman walking in the middle of the street, surrounded by an escort of armed guards riding upon mounts.

The most striking thing about the Blonde woman, was the mark upon her forehead, in the same teardrop-like shape that Chrom also carried upon his shoulder.

Naruto's eyes widened, as he thought he would never see this person in a million years, "The Exalt…."

He gave a shout of surprise, as he felt a hand clap against his shoulder roughly.

"Naruto, we finally caught up! Why did you disappear so suddenly?"

Naruto looked over his shoulder, seeing a familiar shade of blue, and a grin on the persons face.

"Chrom… I kinda… Sorta… got dragged here by the crowd."

Chrom nodded, as he waved a hand to the others to signal he had found the Blond, "Yep, the people of the city sure are a lively bunch, aren't they?"

Naruto gave a tired sigh, "You can say that again…"

Finally, the others in the group had caught up to them, Robin and Lissa standing next to the two, while Frederick, Sully, and Virion made sure the crowd didn't get close enough to notice that Chrom and Lissa, the other Royals, were also with them.

Well… Frederick and Sully were. Virion was…. No one was quite sure what he was doing,

"Yes, my adoring people! The Archest of Archers has arrived! Now I grace you with my presence!"

Apparently he thought the crowd was all for him.

The poor, poor, delusional Archer.

Robin raised a finger, as she spoke, "The Exalt is your ruler, yes?"

Chrom nodded, raising his voice as the crowd cheered louder for their leader, "Yeah! Her names Emmeryn."

Naruto also had a question, as he raised a brow in confusion, "Are you sure it is safe for her to walk among commoners like this?"

Frederick's voice was heard above the roaring of the crowd, as Sully managed to keep Chrom and Lissa away from view with her horse, and Virion managed to scare off the rest with his 'Archest of Archers' speech.

"The Exalt is a symbol of peace, Ylisse's most prized quality." Frederick began to speak lower, "Long ago, at the dawn of our age, the Fell Dragon tried to destroy the world. But the First Exalt joined forces with the Divine Dragon Naga, and together they laid the beast low…" Frederick trailed off, before he once again spoke, "Exalt Emmeryn reminds us all of the peace we fought for then."

Chrom nodded, "Aye, with Plegia poking at our borders, the people need her more than ever. She's a calming presence, when some might otherwise call for war."

Robin gazed at the Exalt, her eyes giving off a look of respect, "Then the people are indeed lucky to have her."

Naruto also gave a look of respect, and even one of thankfulness towards the Exalt, "You don't even know the half of it. The Lady Exalt is a great leader, and knows the hardships people face. She even lowered taxes in places in the country that get little in ways of commerce, like Southtown."

It was true, Southtown had never been the most prosperous of settlements, the people worked hard to get just the things they needed to have a stable life, let alone one of luxury.

The previous war took a lot in terms of funds, and places like Southtown were not spared. Heavy taxes, bandits, and poverty had ravaged settlements across the land. Southtown had been in a miserable state for years because of this.

But when the new Exalt had taken over, Emmeryn had realized the damage done to these places in the country and immediately sent aid. Food, supplies, and even lowered taxes below the normal rate so that they could recover.

The Old Man had always regaled Naruto with stories of those times, and how grateful he should be to be living in a country with such a great ruler. He agreed.

Lissa broke him out of his musings, as she lifted her arms above her head, and said in her usual cheery voice, "She's also the best big sister anyone could ever ask for!"

Robin smiled, "Yes, I imagine she would."

Lissa's grin only grew bigger, "And don't you ever forget it!"

Robin held a hand up to her face, "I keep forgetting that you are essentially a princess, and that Chrom's a prince… No matter how many times I remind myself. It is the only way Frederick would endure all the teasing though, eh?"

Frederick's face turned into one of sorrow, "Indeed. Oh, the sacrifices I make for the good of this realm…"

She adopted a thinking pose, "But then why did you three introduce yourselves as 'Shepherds' when we first met?"

Naruto's head quirked, "Shepherds?"

Chrom just gave a jesting smile, and waved his hand, "And so we are, in a manner of speaking… We just have a LOT of sheep."

Naruto's face turned blank, as he pointed at the Royal, "I'm not sure if I should ignore and forget that you just referred to me and every other Ylissian as Livestock of some kind."

Chrom gave a whistle, alerting the others that he needed their attention, "Everyone, it looks like Emm is returning to the palace. Would you and Naruto like to meet her?"

Sully, shook her head, "I'll take the old Narcissist with me to make sure the other Shepherds have kept the place tidy, you and the others can meet her Ladyship."

With that, Sully grabbed Virion by the back of his collar, strapped his quiver and his person to the side of her horse, and rode off, the Archer yelling indignantly as he struggled to hang onto the Horse's side.

Robin's look of surprise and bewilderment at the act soon faded, as she faced Chrom, "I would love to."

Naruto also nodded, "Like I'd miss the chance to meet the Exalt of all people, count me in!"

And so, the group of now Chrom, Naruto, Lissa, and Frederick began their way to the palace.

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" _Don't freak out, don't freak out. Don't. Freak. Out!"_

Naruto gulped, as he was led into the Palace walls, his eyes wandering and widening, seeing the massive paintings and other extravagancies hanging off of the walls.

Never in a million years did he think he was ever going to set foot in here!

The Palace!

The inside of the Royal House was as exquisite, and fancy as the outside, stone columns holding up parts of the building, wide arches over the walkway as if it was an entrance to Heaven itself.

A massive, red pathway inviting them into its depths, and leading to a room. And at the end of that room, was a massive throne.

Now all he had to do was not say anything stupid, and everything would be perfect!

His thoughts were interrupted, as a voice rang through the place, "Chrom, Lissa! Welcome home. Oh, and good day, Frederick. How fared you all?"

Looking forwards he saw the Exalt Emmeryn herself. Her hair was a light shade of Blonde, much like her younger sisters. An ornate headdress adorning her, and was dressed in an elegant, green and white robe, of which the collar had Roman Numerals on it, telling the observer of the number of Exalts there had been previously.

She was a tall woman, standing proudly, with an air of elegance, grace, and yet had an aura of humbleness around her. She seemed approachable, relatable, someone you could tell all your troubles to and she would smile all the way through.

And yet, she was untouchable.

As if she were a Goddess who took pity on the world, and intervened.

"Well, we shouldn't have any bandit problems for a while."

Leave it to Chrom to say what's on his mind.

Were this any other Exalt, he would have probably been reprimanded, and reminded of his heritage.

All Emmeryn did was smile, "Wonderful, and our people?"

Chrom waved his arm in a placating manner, "Safe as they can be, Emm. But we still need to watch the borders. Some brigands crossed over from Plegia, and attacked settlements in their path."

The woman who had been standing behind the Exalt bowed. She was an older woman, probably in her late twenties. She was an average sized person, with ornate armor. Her most striking features were her pale skin, grey hair, and striking red eyes.

Not to mention the beauty mark located next to her right eye.

"Forgive me, milord. My Pegasus Knights should have intercepted them."

Chrom shook his head, "No, Phila. Your duty was here, with the Exalt."

Lissa stepped forward, a small smile on her face, as she sent a look of gratitude towards Naruto, "And besides, we had plenty of help!"

Emmeryn looked towards the back of the group, where Robin and Naruto had stood, "Ah, you speak of your new companions here?"

Chrom nodded, "Aye, This," He gestured to the Snow-haired Tactician, "Is Robin. She fought bravely with us against the bandits."

"She has a real talent for strategy; she's one of the best I've seen in the field. She's excellent with magic, and has some skill with a sword."

He then moved next to Naruto, moving him forwards, "And this, is Naruto. He also helped us fight off the Bandits. He's pretty handy with a sword, and his skill with magic is something else."

Lissa piped in, "I owe him my life!"  
Emmeryn's eyes widened, as she focused on Naruto, then they narrowed, "What?"

Naruto gulped, " _Damnit Lissa, now all her attentions on me."_

Well, there goes his chance at a normal first impression.

Emmeryn turned to Chrom, "Explain."

Chrom complied, "We had just met Robin, when we saw large amounts of smoke coming from a nearby settlement. Upon arrival, we saw that Plegian Brigands were attacking the Townsfolk, and we intervened. We fought off the Brigands, and things were going smoothly…. But somehow we got separated from Lissa."

He patted Naruto on the back, "This, is where Naruto comes in. Lissa was being attacked by a Myrmidon, and…" Chrom's eyes looked down, as his voice trailed off. "…I wasn't fast enough… I couldn't reach her… And then a Blond stranger blocked the blow, and saved our Sister."

Emmeryn looked to Naruto, "Is this true?"

Naruto nodded, "Yes. My home was being attacked, and I was organizing the people to fight the fires, I then went on the offensive, and began to strike down the Bandits as fast as I could." His eyes looked straight into hers, "I saw a lone Cleric on the battlefield, I didn't know who they were, but I wasn't about to let some Dastard Plegian hurt anyone else, and I went to their aid without a second thought. That's where I met Lissa, and Chrom."

"Chrom and the others helped me save my town, and I will never forget that."

He bowed, before he kneeled, "I am in your family's debt."

He briefly wondered about what would happen next, before he heard footsteps. Lifting his eyes up, he saw that Emmeryn was approaching him, that same look on her face.

" _Crap! Did I say anything wrong?!"_

The footsteps stopped, before he heard a voice, "Rise."

He complied, standing fully, and looking directly at the Exalt.

He expected her to do anything, say something, but she just stood there. He had expected her to be Royal, Regal, too high in the clouds for someone as low as him to even register to her.

He didn't expect the next series of events.

A small, serene, gratitude-filled smile spread across her features, as she grabbed his hand in a firm, yet gentle handshake, "Then I must thank you for everything you've done. If my Sister had been lost… But she wasn't, thanks to your efforts."

She took a step back, "Take back your feelings of any debt you hold towards my house, for if anything."

Emmeryn bowed, before kneeling herself, "If anything, I am indebted to you, thank you, for saving my sister."

Naruto, as well as everyone in the room gawked, as the Proud, Noble Exalt, knelt before a commoner.

Naruto stumbled, as he began to regain his composure, "M-M-Milady Exalt! Please, it isn't proper! You don't have to do this!"

Emmeryn stood, before she looked at the Blond, "I can't do this why? Because I am the Exalt, and you, a commoner? The way I see it."

The air around her grew…There were no words to properly explain what everyone felt coming from Emmeryn. She seemed so unearthly, so…So humble, and yet Elegant, as her eyes became determined

"A Leader doesn't deserve to be respected, if they can't respect others that deserve to be, regardless of their station in this world!"

Naruto gaped, as he struggled to comprehend what she just said.

The Old Man's stories of how the Exalt was… They were all true.

Naruto rubbed the back of his neck bashfully, as he once again looked at her, "Well, Chrom and the others still helped me out, they helped me save someone important to me, and I saved someone important to you."

He flashed his signature grin, as he elaborated further, "So the way I see it, you don't need to bow to someone like me, let's just call it even, Y'know?"

Emmeryn's eyes widened, did this man know how many people would KILL to be in the position he was in? To be owed a favor by the Exalt herself?

A small, knowing smile spread across her face, before she gave a small, regal laugh, "…You're a strange one, Naruto."

He sighed, "Yeah, I've been told that before."

Chrom's grin had long since grown to epic proportions, as he witnessed the interaction between Naruto and his big sister.

He walked forwards, before placing a hand on Naruto's shoulder, "And that's why I've decided to make him a Shepherd. Both of them, actually."

Emmeryn nodded, "It sounds as if Ylisse owes you two a debt of gratitude, regardless of how humble you are."

Frederick stepped forward, before kneeling, "Forgive me, Your Grace, but I must speak."

"Robin claims to have lost her memory, but it is only that: a claim."

His eyes shifted to said Tactician, as surprise registered on her features.

"We cannot rule out the possibility that she is a brigand herself, or even a Plegian Spy."

Chrom's face portrayed surprise, and then slight anger as he approached the knight, "Frederick!"

Naruto also was angered; if she were a Spy, she had plenty of opportunities to strike at Chrom already. If she hasn't done so by now, there was no way!

He also began to approach the knight, before lifting the man from his kneeling position.

"Listen here! If she were a spy, she has had way too many times to strike already! She could've kidnapped Chrom in his sleep and have been in Plegia by now! If you're really not going to believe her about her amnesia, then what about me! I can't remember anything about my past since I washed up three years ago! Am I a spy too?! Does all of us fighting side by side mean nothing to you!"

Robin was shocked. She hadn't expected for the Blond to be this… Protective of her. He immediately went to her defense, not even caring that he was in front of the Exalt herself as he lifted one of her knights to his feet and defended her. He really was a strange one.

But was that really a bad thing…

Naruto's resolve to help his friend never wavered.

She had helped him cope with a loss he didn't think he would've recovered from. She had helped him move on, and had fought by his side. He would never forget that.

Naruto would go to the depths of hell and back for those he deemed his friend. He would slash, burn, cut, and rend anything that threatened his friend's safety, and wouldn't stop until he was sure they were safe.

Once you became Naruto's friend, he would take on the very world to help you.

His loyalty to you was absolute.

Because after all, the people who he deemed precious, were the source of his strength.

Frederick looked into angry Cerulean eyes, and realized his mistake.

Robin had been there with them, helping every step of the way.

Sometimes, he wondered if he should have been called Frederick the fool.

Naruto's grip on him slackened, as he spoke, "…You're right… I'm sorry, Robin."

Robin shook her head, "You were only doing your duty, I can't blame you for that."

Frederick nodded, before Emmeryn took the attention away from the awkward and anger filled moment, "Even so, you allowed her into the castle, Chrom… She has earned your trust, I'm sure of it."

Chrom nodded, "Absolutely. She risked her life for our people, as well as Lissa and myself. That's good enough for me."

Emmeryn acknowledged the Tactician, "It seems that you have earned Chrom's faith, and as such you have earned mine as well."

Robin bowed, "Milady."

The Exalt turned to Frederick, "And thank you, Frederick, for your prudence as always. I know you only carry the well-being of this nation in your mind. Chrom and Lissa are blessed to have so tireless a guardian."

She gave a stern look to her siblings, "I do hope they remember to mention that from time to time…"

A wry smile came to the knight's face, "They occasionally express something akin to gratitude, Your Grace."

He turned to Phila, "Phila, I assume that you've heard about the deathly creatures we encountered, yes?"

Phila nodded, "Yes, sir. They've been sighted all across Ylisse."

Emmeryn looked to her brother, before she gestured for him to follow her, "Chrom, we are about to hold council. I was hoping you could join us."

The Blue-haired Royal nodded, "Of course."

Frederick began to chat with Phila, as she led him to the local barracks.

Lissa looked as her older siblings strode across the room, and entered a separate chamber, "I think that's our cue." She pointed to the exit, before she began to drag Naruto and Robin with her, "Naruto, Robin! C'mon, there's a place I want to show you two!"

"Hold up a second! I- hey-Dattebayo!"

LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

He had been led through narrow streets, shops, and even the occasional alleyway.

Being dragged through the streets, people giving him weird looks.

And after all this, Lissa had led him to a small, old stone building.

Naruto had to wonder if it had been worth it.

He was once again pulled forward, a smirking Robin following behind them, as Lissa opened up a door and dragged Naruto inside.

The onside of the building was rather plain, filled with boxes of supplies, as well as a long, and wide table in the center. The table itself was filled with bowls, ready to be filled with any sort of food, nearby barrels of Ale and other drink at the ready.

She let go, Naruto wobbling a bit, and gestured her arms wide in a grand fashion, "Here we are! The Shepherds' Garrison! Go on, make yourselves at home!"

Naruto regained his senses, and began to look around. He noticed a group of people coming closer, approaching them, as Robin also began to turn her head to examine her surroundings.

The first was a rather Noble looking Blonde woman, dressed in a white and pink dress, with little heart-shaped buttons on the front, her hair done in a style with drill-like curls and bows to keep the hair in place. Her eyes were deep Carmine. She held a small parasol in her hands.

The next was a man. A rather…Wild looking one. He had Platinum Blond hair, spiking backwards, and his skin was tanned. He wore pants, standard leather shoes, and apparently decided to forego a shirt, instead simply wearing the standard Fighter's collar and arm-guard.

The last was a rather shy looking girl, standing at average height, and had long, brown hair that cascaded down her back. She was dressed in the standard armor, of which Naruto recognized belonged to a Pegasus Knight. She also had a clip in her hair that resembled a wing. Her eyes were a deep brown.

The one with the Parasol stood prominently in front of the group, and looked at Lissa, examining every single detail of the girl's dress, "Lissa, my treasure! Are you all right? I've been on pins and needles!"

Lissa turned, her face donning a bright smile and lit up with glee, "Oh, hey Maribelle!"

The now named Maribelle scrunched up her face, "'Oh hey' yourself! I've sprouted Fourteen gray hairs fretting over you!"

Lissa waved her arms in front of her, "Aw, you worry too much. I can handle a battle or two!" Her smile dropped, as she began to reminisce of her time spent outside Ylisstol, "Although I could do without all the bugs….And the bear barbecue…"

The Fighter spoke next, "Hey, Squirt! Where's Chrom? I bet he had a rough time out there without Ol' Teach and his trusty axe!"

Lissa gained a Cheshire grin, "Oh, so you're 'Teach' now, Vaike, is that it? Hehe!" She wagged a finger at the Tanned man, "And here I thought people were just born lacking wits. It can be taught?"

Vaike puffed out his chest in pride, as he held up a fist in triumph, "Ha! Never doubt the Vaike!...Wait, was that an insult?"

The brown-haired girl spoke next, "Beg pardon, but when might we see the captain?

Maribelle gave a sigh, "Poor Sumia. She's simply been beside herself with concern… Her eyes were scanning the horizon all day during training…. She might have earned fewer bruises fighting blindfolded."

Lissa gushed, as she went and hugged the girl close to her, "Aw, Sumia! That's so sweet of you to worry about Chrom!"

The now named Sumia blushed, before she faltered and began to flounder about, "Worry?! Well, I… He's our captain and our Prince! Of course I'd worry!"

Vaike was amused by the blushing girl, but decided to voice something that he knew everyone wanted to know, "So, who are the two strangers over there?"

Lissa threw her arms towards Naruto and Robin's positions, "No one's stranger than you, Vaike… But allow me to introduce you guys to Naruto and Robin! They just joined the Shepherds, Chrom just made the decision, and he made Robin our new Tactician."

She nudged the Snow-haired woman in the side, "You should see all the tricks and stuff she's got up her sleeve!"

She pointed to the Whiskered Blond, "And Naruto here is a really good fighter! He uses a sword and Tomes, at the same time! He's really fast, and strong!"

She began to make a bunch of whooshing noises, as she swung around an imaginary sword.

Vaike stepped forward, a challenging look in place, "Oh yeah? Can he do this?!"  
*BUUUUUUUURP!*

Vaike then barked out a laugh.

Naruto scrunched up his nose, before he began swiping the air to air out the stench, "You mean being disgusting? No, I don't think I can."  
Vaike didn't take too kindly to the teasing, "You think you're a tough guy, don't you?"

Naruto gave a light, lazy smirk, "I don't think so, I KNOW so."

Vaike gestured to a nearby table, before he set his arm down, and patted the table, "Well then, prove it to Ol' Teach then!"

Naruto moved to the table, sitting down, before folding up his right sleeve.

Vaike tried to intimidate him, "I'm taking you down in a second flat!"

Naruto's eyes glinted, as money signs began to flow through his eyes, "How much are ya willing to bet on that?"

It seems that the Old Man rubbed off on him more than he thought.

Vaike grinned, "How about 100 gold to the winner!"  
Naruto returned the look, "Deal!"

Vaike counted down, "Three, two, one…..Go!"

Vaike thought it was going to be easy, he had trained in the arts of strength and lifted weights daily.

He didn't even notice the knowing looks that Lissa and Robin shot his way.

Soon, Naruto threw down his arm, ensuring his win. Vaike landed on his back, lightly gaping as he stared at the ceiling.

Naruto's face soon appeared in his field of vision, as he held out a hand, "That'll be a 100 Gold please!"  
Grumbling, Vaike went into his money pouch, finding the necessary amount of coin, and handed it to the Shopkeeper.

Naruto gave him a grin, "Thanks for your business!"

Vaike, being Vaike, didn't hold much of a grudge, "Alright, ya got me, but next time Teach is taking you to school, got it!"  
"Looking forward to it."

Robin looked to the Blond, before giving a mock bow, "It seems we mortals have much to learn in the Arm-Wrestling arts, Naruto."

She turned to the group, Naruto also giving a nod, "In any case, it's a pleasure to make all of your acquaintances."

Maribelle gave an appraising look to the Whiskered Blond, "At any rate, that was a great show of strength, Mr. Naruto."

Naruto nodded, "It was my pleasure."

Maribelle's demeanor shifted, "Although I guess it is just how baseborn people show dominance."

The Shopkeeper's eyes widened, "What's that supposed to mean?"

The Woman kept up her haughty tone, "I'm just talking about your commoner customs. With all that Barbary and such, I'd assume you would understand where I was coming from." And with that, the woman left.

Naruto stood there, gritting his teeth as he stuck out his tongue as she left.

Sumia sighed before petting his shoulder in a placating manner, "Don't take it to heart, Naruto. Maribelle just warms to people slowly."

Lissa nodded, "Or burns too quickly! Hehe! But yeah, just give her time."

Lissa's and everyone else's attention shifted, as they heard the door open, and footsteps approaching them.

A familiar shade of blue hair was seen, as Chrom made his way towards them.

The spaz Sumia turned excited, "Ah! Captain! You've returned! I was.., I mean, WE were so…"

She finally couldn't take it anymore, and rushed towards Chrom.

And then slipped and fell directly on her face.

Chrom and Naruto's faces cringed, as they heard the hard thump of Sumia hitting the floor, Chrom reaching out, "Sumia! Are you alright...Those boots of yours again?!

Sumia fumbled her words, "No! I mean, yes! I mean…Huuuuh" She finished with a sigh.

Chrom nodded reluctantly, "Okay then…. Alright, listen, everyone; in the morning, we'll all be marching to Regna Ferox."

Robin raised a brow, as she curiously asked, "Regna Ferox?"

Sumia spoke, "A unified kingdom, up north of Ylisse. Inhabited by barbarians, or so it is said."

Naruto raised his hand, "Well, not really barbarians. Just more willing to show their more…Primal side. Warrior's Honor and all that."

Chrom nodded his head in agreement, "Yes, warriors is what they are, and we'll need their strength to quell this new menace". The Prince tapped Falchion, "Typically, the Exalt would request such aid in person, but given recent events… Well, the people might worry should my sister suddenly leave the capital."

Naruto got the gist of what the Royal had said, and responded, "So, the task was passed on to us then?"

Chrom gestured to the others, "It's as Naruto suggested, the task was delegated to us. Now, this mission is strictly voluntary. So if, for any-."

Lissa raised her hand, and yelled, "I volunteer!"

Vaike also joined, "Me too! You'll be needin' Ol' Teach along for such a delicate mission!"

"I'll go as well."

A new voice was heard, as Robin yelled in surprise as she noticed it came from directly behind her, "Gah!"

The person was a tall male, dressed in the standard armor for heavy knights, huge armor covering his form, colored silver with Orange colorations. His hair was cut short, a light green/brown color. His eyes remained closed…I think.

"What? I've been here the whole time!"

Sumia and the other Shepherds began to sweat, as she quickly tried to say something, "I..I…Um…Sorry, Kellam"

Lissa also began to sweat, "Yeah….Were you?"

Robin held a hand over her heart, "Well, you at the very least got my attention, startled me."

Naruto nodded, "Yep, I knew you were there. You were standing out in the open, why wouldn't I?"

Kellam faltered before slowly turning on the Blond, "You…You noticed me?"

Naruto gave him a strange look, "Yeah, why wouldn't I? You're wearing big armor, as well as having Awesome ORANGE on it, of course I'd notice you."

The Knight began to step towards the Blond, light sniffling being heard, before Kellam began to outright bawl and leapt at the Whiskered Blonde's feet, weeping and clutching at him, "Oh thank Naga! Thank you Naruto! Thank you, thank you!"

Naruto began to try removing the Knight from his legs, attempting to pry him off, struggling to do so, "Hey! Get off, you're getting my shoes all snotty! Hey, let go, Dattebayo!"

Managing to get his legs free, Naruto jumped back, cowering behind Robin, "Help me, please!"

Kellam recovered from his emotional outburst, and rose to his feet, regaining his composure, "Ah… I'm sorry… It's just that, I kinda blend into the background a little, and you're the first person to actually notice me before I announce myself to the others."

Naruto raised a brow, "How in the name of the Divine Dragon do you, a huge, armor-encased knight, not get noticed when you are literally in plain sight?"

Kellam shrugged, "I don't know, nobody does… It just kinda…. Happens."

"Oooo~kaaaa~y."

Sumia raised her hand.

Chrom pointed to her, "Yes, Sumia?"

She twiddled her thumbs, and looked to the ground, "It's just that… I'm not sure if I'm quite ready for a proper mission just yet. I'd probably get in the way."

The Blue-haired prince then spoke, "Well, you could stay behind the main group, and if a battle is met, just watch and learn? Your choice, of course. But some lessons can only be learned on the battlefield."

The girl nodded, "W-well, if you think it wise, Captain."

Chrom smiled, "Just stay by me, and you'll be fine."

The girl gained a shine in her eyes, "Oh yes!...I mean, yes sir. I'll do that!" She responded with excitement in her voice.

Chrom nodded, "Who else?"  
Naruto raised his hand, "Well, I'm obviously going. I can't just stay cooped up here and let you guys and gals have all the awesome adventures. After all, the Old Man told me to make a name for myself, and what beter way to do that but by helping out Ylisse with diplomacy, and watching your back?"

"Let's get this show on the road, then."

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The Shepherds had left at the earliest time possible.

Meaning that they left as soon as they had gotten ready.

They were north of Ylisstol, about to reach a major road that was used for travel, aptly named the Northroad.

The originality these people have with directions and names of places astounds me.

"Ahhhhh, I'm tired of waaaaalking, can't we take a break big brother?"

Lissa was a princess.

She was a lady.

She was not meant for marching large distances!

Lissa slumped her shoulders forward, as a tired and exausted sigh escaped her lips, "Pleaaaase?"

Chrom shook his head, "No, we need to keep going if we're going to make it on time."  
Lissa refused to listen, "Please?"

Chrom once again shook his head, "No."

The other Shepherds looked on in amusement, as the siblings began to bicker, snickers and laughs being heard as it went on.

"Please?"

"No."

"Pleeeease?"

"No.

"PLEEEEEAAASE?"

"No!"

Lissa gave a grin, "No!"  
Chrom responded, "Please…. Wait, what?"

Lissa smirked, as her trick worked, "Well, if you insist brother. Everyone, we're taking a break!"

Everyone let out a collective groan, as they let the travel bags they had been carrying down, Naruto stretching out his arms, and trying to get the blood flowing again.

He was currrently yawning, as he checked over his weapons.

While in the Shepherds Headquarters, he had been able to restock his Tomes, once again having two Wind and two Fire Tomes with him. He had tried using Thunder Tomes before, but he didn't really use them all that much, something about them didn't settle right with him.

Whenever he attempted to use them, the scar on the right side of his chest would tingle and begin to throb, as if in a reminder of something. Perhaps it had something to do with how he had gotten the scar in the first place.

That aside, he had found a spare Iron Sword, as well as another Bronze Sword just in case he needed it. That left him with one solid space for a healing Concoction in his pack.

" _Okay, anything else I need I can probably get from towns we pass by, maybe even a traveling merchant or two. I wonder if they all do look alike, like the Old Man said."_

Naruto had heard tales from the Old Man about a family of traveling merchants, who basically were gods in the business of marketing and being Shopkeeps. Apparently, they all looked alike, having the same facial features, the same hair, hell, he'd even heard that they mostly all shared the same name!

He was broken out of his thoughts, as he felt a nudge on his shoulder. Looking up, he noticed that it was Robin, biting her lip and struggling to say something. Noticing her distress, he decided to help, "Hey, Robin, is something wrong? Need something?"

She nodded, "Yes, but could you follow me… It's kind of something I want to keep private."

The Blond nodded, "Lead the way."

The duo began walking, as the Female Tactician led him into the nearby brush, most of it high enough to cover a person for privacy. The two stopped, as Robin looked satisfied with their location.

Naruto looked at her, "So, whats up?"

Robin held her hands toghether behind her back, as she looked at him nervously, "Uhm… Well… I don't know how to do any of this… But, I wanted to thank you properly."

Naruto raised a brow, "For what?"

Robin once again took a breath, "For what you did back in the Palace… Defending me, with Frederick and all that."

Naruto's eyes widened, as a look of realization spread over his features, "Oh, that's it?"  
Robin faltered, "Yes… I was surprised when you did that, I mean, we've barely known each other for about three days, and yet you just jumped in and defended me like that."

She looked into his eyes, "So, thank you Naruto."

Naruto flashed his signature grin, "Aw, don't worry about it! That's what friends are for, right?"

Her eyes widened, "Friends?"

Naruto nodded, "Yep, friends!"  
Robin gestured to him, "You think of me… As a friend?"

Naruto once again nodded, before a soft look appeared upon his face, "Yeah, you're my friend." He looked at the sky, before turning to her once again, "Remember back in Southtown? I was all depressed and trying to drown my sorrows in a barrel of drink."

Robin's nodded, she did remember.

He continued, "You helped me remember that I shouldn't dwell on things I can't control, and gave me a shoulder to cry on." His eyes regarded her, "You helped me a lot more than you know, that day. So if you ever need anything." He flexed his arm, his grin coming back into place, "Of course you're my friend. Just tell me, and I'll to Damnation and back! That's a promise, Y'know!"

A fierce determination came into his eyes, "And I never go back on my word!"

Robin was still, stunned by the Blond Shopkeeper's words. Would he really go that far just to help her? Had she really done something that important for him to feel like that?

A small, gratefull smile appeared on her face, ato nd then turned an uncharacteristic large grin that spread across her face, "Thanks, if you ever need anything as well, I'll try my best to return the favor."

She held out her hand, "So, to Damnation and back huh?"

Naruto shrugged, before he began to rub the back of his head nervously, "Hey, I just got carried away." He pointed a finger at her accusingly, "It's your fault I got so fired up anyway!"

And then, the two just stood there, before a giggle was heard, then a snicker.

And then the two burst into laughter, both of them laughing, letting out the sounds of their mirth.

At last, the two finally settled down, before Naruto pointed to where they had come from, "I think we should head back to the others, we've probably kept them waiting."  
Robin agreed, "Yep."

And so, they exited the brush, making their way back to the group, who looked to be ready to get back on the move.

Lissa strode up to the two, before pointing her finger into Naruto's chest, "And where have you two been? Because if you had taken a little while longer…" Her threatening aura dropped, as she slumped into his arms, tired, a small spirit in her shape escaping her mouth, "I might've actually recovered from the marching…"

Naruto began to freak out, as Lissa did her act, "Crap! Lissa! If you see a light, don't go towards it! Stay with us Lissa! STAY WITH US!"  
His antics stopped, as Lissa began to giggle, before she lifted herself up, Her usual grin in place, "No, but seriously, where were you two?"

Naruto stiffened, "Talking… About things."

"What things?"

"Private things."

Lissa's eyes widened, as a shocked gasp escaped her lips, acting as if in surprise, "Don't tell me!"  
Naruto raised a brow, Robin quirking her head to the right in confusion.

Lissa continued, "Don't tell me that she confessed her love for you!"

Naruto and Robin both fell on their faces, as Lissa gushed.

The Spritely Cleric held her hands together in front of her face, her eyes shining and full of hearts, as she bounced on the balls of her feet, "Oh, I should've seen this coming! Two Amnesiacs, both struggling to find bits and pieces of their past, only to find not their memories, but each other instead!"

She shook with excitement, "It's like a fairytale!"

Naruto groaned in embarassment, as he looked at Lissa dryly, "Ha, ha, ha. Very funny Lissa."

She bowed, "I try."

Naruto shook his fist in front of him, "Just you wait, you just entered a world of pranking hell!"

Lissa's eyes glinted, as she gave a smile, "Oh… Pranks huh? I'd like to see you try."

Both thought the same thing, _"Game On!"_

Chrom's voice rang through the clearing, gaining everyone's attention, "Alright, is everyone ready? We've still got a long march up ahead of us."

A new voice rang through the air, as the sounds of a mount riding closer was heard, "W-Wait for me!"

Naruto turned to the voice, seeing a male that appeared maybe a little older than he was, dressed in green Cavalier Armor, his hair the same shade of Veridian as his armor. He weilded a Bronze Lance, riding up to the group.

Chrom gave a shout of surprise, "Stahl?!"

The now named Stahl gave a breath of relief, "Why am I the last to hear about this expedition to Ferox?"

Lissa looked confused, "What do you mean? Vaike was supposed to…"

Everyone's heads turned towards the Shirtless Fighter, as he began to chuckle nervously.

"Vaike! Did you forget to tell Stahl about our mission?!"

Vaike continued his nervous chuckle, before yelling in a cnfident tone, "The Vaike never forgets!" His voice became somber, "…I just don't always remember, is all…"

A collective groan was heard from the Shepherds.

Lissa wagged a finger, "I swear, you'd forget your own name if you weren't constantly saying it yourself!" She stated in a chiding manner. "Speaking of which, are you absolutely, positively, supositively SURE you remembered to bring your axe with you this time?"

Vaike responded, "Hey! That was one time!...Okay, twice, but training sessions don't count! Anyway, I got it right here. Teach is loaded and ready for action!" He looked to the newly arrived Stahl, a grin in place, "Glad to have you along, Stahl old buddy, old pal."

Stahl held his stomach, as a gurgling sound was heard, "That makes one of us. I was in such a hurry, I had to miss breakfast!" His mouth began to water, as his eyes filled with tears, "There were muffins, and cakes, and even some pastries…" He sighed, before his natural good-natured smile came back, "Well, I can tell you all about it while we march."

Robin looked to him, "You're name is Stahl, right?"

Chrom stepped forwards, "Oh, I'm sorry. Robin, Naruto, This is Stahl, one of our finest."

Stahl stepped to the two newest Shepherds, before shaking their hands, "Hello, Miriel told me we had some new Shepherds."

Noticing their looks of confusion, he further elaborated, "Er, Miriel's one of our Mages. She should catch up soon."

Chrom pointed to the far road, "Lets get a move on people, we're losing daylight!"

"YES SIR!"

The Shepherds moved forwards, and once more started their march.

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The Northroad.

One of the major travel routes in all of Ylisse.

One of the most usually quiet roads, even bandits left it alone, for fear of the guards that usually frquented the road, as patrols were frequent.

As the Shepherds arrived here, they saw a horrible sight.

The Northroad, was filled with the ghastly creatures, that had been dubbed Risen.

Chrom's eyes were filled with horror, as he stared, "Gods… Have the Risen spread this far?"

Stahl looked to his leader, "Risen?"

Frederick, who had caught up with the group after his dealings in Ylisstol, spoke up, "Yes, During our first encounter with them, we heard them called as Risen, and upon seeing their appearance, and mannerisms, the name stuck."

Chrom raised his arm, "Everyone! Remember what we are up against!"

Vaike pumped his fist, stepping forward and filled with excitement, "Hya ha! They'll remember ME once I drive my axe into their…"

He looked around, fumbling with his pack, before he looked to the others, "Wait… My axe… Where's my axe?! I had it a second ago!"

Naruto sighed, "Vaike, we are about to get into a life and death struggle, now really isn't the best time for jokes…"

Vaike gestured to empty space, a dotted outline of where his axe should have been denotating it as missing, "I'm serious! It's gone, but I JUST had it! It's got to be around here somewhere…"

The Risen had noticed their position by now, and made their way towards the Shepherds, moans and screeches escaping their maws.

Chrom swiped his arm in front of him, "Then keep to the rear! The battle is nigh!"

Frderick lead his mount next to the Captain, gaining the attention of the others, "Listen up, remember the strengths and weaknesses to a battle. All weapons have strengths and weaknesses to bear in mind." Frederick was about to say more, but was interupted as Naruto's voice was heard.

"Yeah, swords are weak against lances, lances against axes, and axes against swords and all that. Lets get to the fighting!"

The Risen had advanced even closer, some even havong crossed the bridge that helped connect the Northroad.

Naruto grinned, "Let's go ya Dastards!"  
And in the words of an Angel.

The fight is on!

Naruto peered ahead, seeing the enemy, "Chrom, Robin! I see about five enemies! A soldier, a Barbarian, and a Mercenary! The other two are at the head of the other side of the bridge, I can't see any farther than that, though!"

Robin nodded, "Thanks, I can work with that."  
Naruto retunred the geture, before he redied his Bronze sword and rushed forwards, meeting the mercenary head-on.

Locking blades, Naruto shifted his weight, making the enemy Mercenary's blade slide to the left, making his opponent go off balance and fall forwards, before he spun around and stabbed it in the gut.

Knowing the fight wasn't over, he jumped back, just as the Mercenary groaned, and swung its sword at him.

Naruto waited, trying to analyze his opponent and plan his next move, before he was suddenly assaulted by a Bronze Lance by surprise. The thrust was rather weak, however, allowing for him to dodge and then grab the shaft of the Lance, twisting his body around it, and redirecting it into the Mercenary in front of him.

The Mercanary fell, turning to smoke due to the Lance going through its throat.

Naruto turned around, facing the now unarmed Risen Soldier, before he stabbed it through the eyes, ending whatever it was considered as its life.

He heard a grunt of exertion, seeing Chrom and Stahl both slashing a Risen Barbarian in the chest, before it fell, turning to the usual smoke that appeared when one of its kind fell.

Now that the three main threats at the time had been dealt with, Naruto took this moment to observe his surroundings. A sharp glint caught his eye, as he looked over to a nearby tree, and saw something resting against the base. He walked up, seeing that it was in fact a blade, wide and hooked at the end of the blade, one side sharp, and the other blunt.

His eyes widened, as he recognized the typ of blade he had seen, _"An Armor Breaker!"_ A hellish grin came to his face. He was going to have some fun with that later!

Heaving the massive blade onto his shoulder, he saw the Other Shepherds recuperating, before he walked to Fredericks mount, and strapped the sword to its side.

"Naruto?"

Frderick questioned, "Where did you get that?"

Naruto shrugged, "Found it."

"You found it?"

Naruto just nodded once again, "Yep, I found it."

Expecting no less from the rather eventful Blond, Frederick just chose to accept what the Blond had said, and let it be.

Robin gained the group's attention, "Okay, we still have the Two Risen at the bridge, and we don't know how many of them there are out there after that point, so I suggest we funnel them through the bridge, using Frederick and Naruto as buffers, while Virion and myself take them out from a distance with my magic, and his Arrows."

The others nodded, "Sounds like a plan."

And sothe moved on towards the bridge, the two Risen on it running to the group, before getting speared through the chest by Fredrick's Silver Lance, the other was brought down by an arrow curteousy of Virion.

Vaike looked depressed at this, him having his shoulders slumped forwards, "Damnit! The Vaike is missing all the action! I want to bust some heads!" He finished his rant with his arms in the air, lamenting the fact that his precious axe had been lost to him.

He had been staying back from the fighting, and therefore was still a bit behind the others.

Vaike stopped, as he heard a knowledgable, female voice, "Is this yours?"

Turning, Vaike saw a woman, with straight, neck-length red hair, dressed in the traditional Mages Attire, meaning she was in scholarly robes, with a rather large, floppy hat on her head. She pushed up her glasses, the spectacles shining as she pointed to an axe that she had dragged across the ground.

Vaike's eyes were excited, as he dove at the weapon, hugging it to his chest in a loving manner,"Oh thank you Miriel! I love my baby axe so much!"

Miriel just again adjusted her glasses, a light sigh escaping her lips, "I had wondered what kind of ignoramus would mislay their own weapon." She began to read a book she had pulled from her robes, "Now I know"

Vaike just raised his axe in the air, as he rushed by the Mage, "Thanks Miriel! Now Teach is going to start a learning session!"

Miriel brushed her hair aside, as she watched Vaike run ti catch up to the others, before she began to calmly walk to her comrades locations, "Perhaps next time I'll use a spell to fasten it to his hands…Permanently."

Back with the rest of the Shepherds, they were about to execute their plan in the bridge, Chrom at their head, "Okay everyone, remember Robin's plan! I, Frederick, and Naruto will funnel the Risen, while she and-"

The Prince was cut short, as he was pushed aside by a running Vaike, a sound of surprise coming from his throat as he landed on his behind.

Naruto watched, as Vaike ran towards the end of the bridge, laughing his head off, meeting a Risen and lopping off its head with a swing of his axe. He looked to Chrom, "Or not… Well, lets get there before he bites off more than he can chew."

With that, the Whiskered Blondcharged down the bridge, followed by his comrades, as he caught up with the Shepherds' resident Fighter, before stopping next to him.

Meanwhile, Robin was with Lissa, as she looked upon the battlefield, her eyes glinting a soft yellow, before she began to examine the area. She began to think of strategies, moves, and counter-moves, whole battle scenarios flowing through her head.

She saw a top-down view of the battlefield, each of her friends and enemies depicted as miniature versions of themselves, as she reminded herself of their strengths, and weaknesses.

She shouted, "Naruto, stay with Vaike and take point! Chrom, keep with Stahl and follow their lead! Virion, Sully, follow me and Lissa! Cover her and we'll come out of this fine!"  
The Shepherds all grinned, and began to set her plan into motion, "ROGER!"  
Naruto and Vaike advanced, and were set upon by two soldiers, Naruto and the Fighter both blocking the Lances.

Vaike looked over his shoulder, right at the Whiskered Blond, "So, you and Ol' Teach were paired to bust some heads, eh?"  
Naruto looked right back at him, "It seems so."  
The Risen groaned, piushing harder into the two's weapons, as Naruto and Vaike both moved in one, solid motion.

The two both shouted, "Then let's slice 'em to pieces!"

Naruto started by knocking the Lance holding Vaike in place up, allowing the Fighter to move. Vaike raised his axe, slicing the Lance's spear-point off, before, launching himself at the Risen Soldier, striking it across the face with the butt of his axe, before lifting the weapon high above his head, and lodging the weapon deep inside its chest.

He ducked, as the other Risen also swiped a Lance at him, but Vaike gave a knowing smirk, as Naruto flipped off of the Fighters back, and pointed a familiar red Tome at the Risen.

" **Fire!"**

The blaze that erupted from the Amnesiac's finger burnt through the Risen's armor, charring what flesh remained on the moving corpse, and Naruto himself used the fire as a cover to hide a throwing knife, that lodged itself between the Risen's eyes.

The Soldier slumped forwards, falling onto its knees, and then face first into the ground.

Twin plumes of smoke erupted from the two dead Risen, as both Naruto and Vaike looked at one another.

Vaike raised a finger at the Blond, "Hey, you ain't half bad!"

Naruto griined at the praise, before pumping his fist, "Right back at ya!"

Naruto then looked at the battlefield, seeing that Robin was delegating and micro-managing everyone. Setting up their moves, positions, that sort of thing.

The Tactician herself had just finished a battle herself, finishing off the Risen Barbarian with a flick of her Bronze Sword, and then launching a Thunder Spell at the downed Risen's head. She looked over everyone, seeing if everyone was doing alright.

Everyone appeared to be okay, as Lissa was already tending to whatever minor wounds anyone had sustained during the scuffle, being shielded by both Sully and Virion while she did so.

She looked towards her remaining opponents, _"So, we still have two Barbarians, one last Soldier… And then the Chief…"_

She observed the mountain of muscle that was the Risen Chief. She speculated that it must have some form of higher intelligence than the other Risen, as it had waited for them to come to it, instead of charging in recklessly like its bretheren.

It wasn't a huge, or as burly as the other Chief they had fought previously, although it still was taller than the average person.

"Everyone. Attack now!"

And so the Shepherds charged the remaining enemies, one getting into Naruto's way.

The Blond Shopkeep readied his sword, and saw that his oppoenet, one of the two remaning Barbarians, was limping on its left side.

He aimed a strike at its remaining good leg, before side-stepping a slash, and landing on the Risen's left, the Risen over extending itself. Naruto then delivered a devastating cut to the Risen's now exposed neck, the Risen letting out a final, depraved gasp as it turned to smoke.

Chrom was at his left, fighting the other Barbarian, before tripping the Risen and stabbing it into the ground, leaving it wriggling there, before he stomped onto it's head, removing Falchion from the body.

Now all they had to do was take down the Chief.

* **GRAAAAAAWWWW!***

Easier said than done.

Stahl charged up the right, gaining the Chief's attention and pestering it, poking it in the legs with his Lance to make it lose focus.

Sully also began to utilize the hit-and-run tactic, weakening the Chief further.

The Chief roared once again, before taking it's hand, and slamming it into the ground, knocking Stahl off of his mount. The Cavalier skidded acrosss the ground, stopping as he hit a stone with his back, a pained gasp tearing itself from his mouth.

Stahl looked upwards, seeing the massive shadow of the Chief rising above him, and enveloping his form. He saw as the Chief raised the Axe it was wielding, before it swung down. Stahl closed his eyes, waiting for that moment when he was going to go splat, boom, donezo.

"Stahl!"

He flinched, as a splurch of blood was heard.

He opened his eyes, seeing Chrom with a fierce look in his eyes, Falchion in a wide swing, as the arm of the Risen Chief went flying, the axe going with it.

Robin saw the advantage this presented, aiming her Tome at the Risen's head, " **Thunder!"**

The Spell streaked towards the Chief, striking it in the middle of the forehead, dazing it and wounding it, as it stumbled from the blow.

Naruto looked at Robin as he raced by, a nod by the Tactician, signifying his turn.

He rushed at the now literally disarmed right side of the Rise Chief, before he slashed the tendon in its leg, the Risen giving a pained screech.

The Risen Chief fell into a kneeling position.

" _Now!"_

Naruto slashed his foe once, twice, thrice.

A fourth time.

A fifth time.

A sixth time.

Naruto jumped back seeing the carving his cuts had made.

The slashes he made had created a spriral pattern on the Risen's chest, before he dashed forward, "I'll cut you down like I do prices!"

*Critical!*

He roared as he sprinted at his opponent, putting all of his strength behind the Full-powered Thrust.

He reached his opponent, thrusting his blade into the center of the Spiral Mark he had made on his opponent's chest, before turning his blade sideways inside his opponent, like one would a key in a lock, and tore it out through the side.

He spun on the balls of his feet, before he swiped his sword through the air, before having it on his shoulder, and walked away as the Risen fell face first, and dissolved into dust.

Naruto had no time to savor his victory, as he ran towards Stahl, who was currently being held in Chrom's arms.

Arriving, Naruto noticed that the Cavalier's breathing was labored, and he was struggling to even stay conscious. Sliding to a halt, the Whiskered Blond grabbed his Concoction out of his bag, and handed it to Chrom, who nodded in thanks to the Shopkeeper.

Chrom opened the stopper on the healing drink, before pouring it down the Cavalier's throat, a relieved sigh escaping him as Stahl let out a large breath, and continued to breathing normal.

Naruto peered down at the Cavalier, "Chrom, is he going to be okay?"

The Royal nodded, "Yeah, he'll be fine in a minute if we can get him to Lissa."

Looking around, Naruto noticed Lissa tending to a cut Sully had gotten in the fight, yelling and getting her attention, "Hey! Lissa! Stahl took a pretty nasty hit, and we're gonna need a patch-up!"

Lissa had heard the Shopkeep, and rushed over, Chrom letting his sister take Stahl and begin to look him over.

Lissa's brow furrowed, "Help me get him on his stomach."  
With Chrom's help, she pushed him onto his stomach, before she removed a piece of armor from his back, and lifted up the tunic Stahl wore underneath.

And all three immediatley grimaced.

Directly in the middle of his back, a massive, purplish-black bruise had formed, most likely from the stone he had struck from when he was launched from his horse.

Lissa brought her staff to her hand, raised it and chanted a few words. Taking her staff, she gently pressed the decorated end of it into Stahl's back, the Cavalier initially grimacing and grunting in pain, before he relaxed as the healing began to take place.

Soon, the bruise had been reduced to a small blotched spot just below his right shoulder-blade.

Lissa gave a breath of relief, as she smiled towards Chrom and Naruto, "It seems he'll be fine, we just need to give him some rest, and he should be good to go."  
Chrom's eyes dropped, as he muttered, "Oh, thank the gods…"  
Naruto looked at Stahl, and began to worry.

They had almost lost a comrade from the get-go. It may not have been a fatal injury, but it would have been enough to put him out of commission for a couple days if Lissa hadn't been there.

Robin came over to the four, before telling them the situation, "It seems like that was all of them, we should be fine, for now." Chrom and Naruto went next to her, leaving Lissa to continue Stahl's treatment.

Chrom spoke, "Finally, and good riddance!"

A frown appeared on his face, "But if those things are appearing this far up the Northroad…"

Naruto knew where this was going, "Then no path is safe. We're gonna need to be a lot more vigilant."

"Hey guys! Stahl's awake!"

Lissa's cheery voice alerted them, before they rushed back to where Lissa had been healing the Mounted Cavalier.

They saw Stahl laying down, leaning his head against his horse, a nervous chuckle escaping his lips, "Ehehe…..That was kind of a close one, wasn't it?"

Chrom nodded, "Aye… But I made sure that Dastard didn't finish the job."

Stahl once again gave a good natured chuckle, "Yeah, you were very Dis-arming in that situation."

Chrom gave a grin, "Even after that, you're still cracking jokes…"  
Stahl gave a wave, "Well, the others might worry if I wasn't my usual cheery self, wouldn't they." He finished, but gave a wince afterwards.

Naruto frowned, his face crinkling, "You're still not fully healed yet?"  
Stahl once again nodded, "Yeah, but I'm feeling a lot better than I was, I couldn't really do much because of the pain, not even speak." He once again gave his grin, "Just a few moments and a good Concoction, and I'll be good."

Chrom offered Stahl a hand, and lifted him up, the Cavalier moved to his horse, before getting in the saddle.

Chrom pointeed to him, "Fine, but I want you riding towards the back and stay out of battle until you've recuperated, got it?"

Stahl gave a salute, "Roger, Captain."

And with that, the Shepherds once again began their march.

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"Well, what do we have here?"

The voice of the Tactician Robin rang through the clearing, as she, Naruto, Chrom, and Lissa stopped in their tracks.

Lissa nudged the Tactician in the side, pointing to the obf=ject of their curiosity, "Hey, is that what I think it is?"

Chrom started to walk closer, until it was revealed that the thing they were curios about, was a lone Pegasus.

He came closer to the creature, "It's a Pegasus. All right."

The animal gave a small whinney, Chrom gazing at it, "I think it's hurt. Let's just have a look here…" He edged closer to the wingrd horse, reaching out his hand, before the Pegasus noticed him that close.

It began to stomp on the ground, flaring it's wings all around, and bucking. Chrom backed away, "WHOA! Down girl! Easy there!"

Sumia's voice echoed throughout the air, as she apparently broke formation and caught up to the four.

"Captain, one moment!"

And cue fall to the face.

*Thump!*

"Sumia! Are you alright?!...The boots again, huh?"

"No, yes, no…Huuuh"

Chrom raised his arm in frony of him, "Well, come no further. This beast is crazed!"

Sumia gave a gentle smile, as she moved past Chrom, "It's okay Captain. I can handle this."

She slowly approached the Pegasus, slowly edging her hand to the Winged Horse, "Shhh… Easy now girl. I won't hurt you."

Sumia stopped adavancing, leaving her hand a small distance from the Mount's nose. The Pegasus began to sniff her hand, before it backed up, but then moved forward.

Sumia smiled, and began to gently pet the Pegasus on the head, stroking it gently, and carefully, whispering sweet things into it's ear, "Shhh… You'll be okay. I promise."

Naruto looked on in amazement, one moment the Horse was raging, and now Sumia had calmed it to the point where it was like a purring kitten in her hands! "Whoooa, how did she calm It so quickly!"

Robin gave a light smile at the clumsy girl, "That's incredible Sumia!"

Chrom looked on, "I've never seen anything like it…"

The Pegasus Knight began to turn red, as she dealt with all the praise she was receiving, "Oh, it's… It's nothing. Really. I just have a way with animals, I guess…"

Chrom gave a good laugh, before once again addressing the Girl, "I should say so!" He praised, "It looks like it went to Heaven, the way you're treating it!"

Sumia looked to the others, before back at the Pegasus, "You guys go on ahead. I'll dress her wounds and catch up as soon as I can."

Naruto quirked an brow, as he folded his arms under each other, "Are you sure? I'm pretty sure that we can stop and make time to wait for you."

Sumia looked to him, "Thank you, Naruto. But I can manage. Every moment is precious when all of Ylisse is in danger."

Chrom sighed, before he relented, "Right then. Be safe, Sumia."

She giggled, and gave a bow, "As you command, Sir."

Naruto glanced at Sumia, before lookiing to Chrom, "She can be a cheeky Lass when she wants to be, can't she?"

Chrom nodded, "You have nooo idea…"

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 _AN: Hello once again my People! Welcome to the end of another Chapter of Inescapable Fates! I've been thinking about this stories next chapter a lot, and I got so excited about it, and BAM! Another 10,000+ Chapter, about 11,476 words by the time I wrote the number, so I guess it is more than that now… And more…. And more… And even more now…_

 _I might have a problem, writing for this story is too Naga-Damned addicting, please help me!_

 _How'd ya guys and gals like the chapter? Was it good? Bad? Or was it something in between? Tell me, and I'll do my best to write even better than before!_

 _A Reviewer was concerned that I was dropping this story, and I'm telling you now, that:_

 _I WILL NEVER ABANDON THIS STORY!_

 _I LOVE IT TOO NAGA-DAMNED MUCH!_

 _I love to write for this story, and don't plan on stopping anytime soon, I just have to manage and share upload and writing time with my other stories is all._

 _Plus the Reviewer offered me the soul of Liam Neeson, as well as a reeces peanut butter cup for to write for the story, so I guess its an added bonus!_

 _So now I own Liam Neeson's soul…. What to do, what to do…._

 _To all who have supported this story, I'd like to give you all Gaius' Confections, thanks for your support!_

 _Enjoy all of your stat-boosts my people!_

 _Just going to talk about an issue I'm having._

 _As you all probably know, there is a huuuuuge character roster in Fire Emblem: Awakening, and that is what is causing me a problem._

 _I'm finding it hard to balance screen-time with the number of characters in the Shepherds roster, so I'm more than likely just going to focus on a few characters in certain scenes more than others, like the people I used in my play-throughs of Awakening._

 _I didn't use Virion, or Vaike that much, or Miriel, and maybe Sumia a little._

 _So I might just have a certain thing planned on for later chapters that'll give me a chance to write for certain characters._

 _NO NO NO NO! Wait! That doesn't mean that I'll be killing off characters because I can't write for them._

 _No, the character death comes later._

 _Spoilers? It wouldn't be much of an Epic Saga of Triumph, let alone a Fire Emblem tale without a little character death. Lunatic Classic demands it almost._

 _I won't be having characters be dropping like flies left and right though._

 _And sometimes I might just injure a character, not kill them._

 _Or I might not even kill anyone._

 _Really depends on my mood._

 _Just warning all of ya now, before you get confused._

 _I've lost more than my fair share of units because of Lunatic Difficulty for my liking._

 _DONNELL! NOOOOOOO!_

 _SEE YA LATER!_

 _REMEMBER! LIKE, FAVORITE, FOLLOW, AND REVIEW LIKE THERE'S NO TOMMORROW MY CHILLINS!_

 _And in the words of Liam Neeson, my new 'Employee', "If you don't favorite, and review… I will find you…. And I will kill you…."_

 _So no worries._

 _Stay classy, my friends._

 _Bye!_


	5. Walkin' in a Winter Wonderla-SPEAR!

_AN: Uhhhhhh…. Hey everyone. It's Thewackness135 here, with a LOOOOONG overdue chapter of Inescapable Fates. What else can I say, but that school is a bitch, and writer's block is even more so._

 _Seriously, I apologize for the long wait for this chapter. Five months is too damn long to keep you guys waiting on what is supposed to be one of my main stories, especially considering the fact that this story is one of the few Fire Emblem crossovers with Naruto in it._

 _So again, I apologize._

 _To be honest, my will to write my stories is dropping. Mainly due to the fact that writing chapters that I think will meet everyone's standards consume a lot of time, as well as the fact that I don't find the same sense of enjoyment as I did before._

 _Don't worry, this doesn't mean that I'll stop writing entirely, it just means that updates will come slower than usual from now on until I find my drive again._

 _About last chapter, on the typos found there._

 _I finished that chapter late at night, groggy as all hell, and uploaded it the next day. Then when all you guys and gals alerted me to the problem, I went back and saw all the problems listed. Needless to say, I fixed them._

 _On a lighter note, HOOOOOOLLLLLYYYY SHITE FIRE EMBLEM FATES IS FUN!_

 _I got the Conquest version first, while my friend who I bought day one copies with bought Birthright (We know refer to each other as Hoshidan Filth and Nohrian Scum). We drove around for about an hour between stores to find copies on day one. And Target pulled through._

 _And say what you will about D &D, but goddamn is it fun._

 _The only thing I will say about me and my four friends D &D session, is that the spell Jump solves all of our problems. From pitfalls, to vampires, to even heavy blockade doors._

 _All fell before the power of the natural 20 Jump._

 _Jump. Is. God._

 _Anyhow, back to story related topics._

 _I fanboyed a little when one of my favorite authors on the site decided to give this story a chance, and ended up liking it._

 _Thank you, and keep bringing the PAIN._

 _That was a joke, a terrible joke, but a joke nonetheless._

 _Well, as much as I'd like to stay here and keep rambling on about topics that the majority of you probably give no shits about, I believe that I have a story that needs to start._

 _Welcome back friends._

 _Fonts: See first chapter_

 **Disclaimer: Thewackness135 does not own either Naruto, or Fire Emblem Awakening; if I did, that monstrosity known as Fiia Emburem the Musical would have never reared its ugly head. If you don't know what I'm talking about, you are one of the lucky ones. Please, treasure your innocence, and never watch that video. Super Saiyan Marth is currently trying to break down my door, so I guess this is goodbye.**

 **On with the Story!**

 **Story: Inescapable Fates: Memories of a Shopkeeper.**

 **Ch.5: "Walkin' In A Winter Wonderla… Is that a Spear flying at us?"**

 **-Chapter Start!-**

Regna Ferox, a land filled with warriors of the highest caliber, renowned for their strength, and resilience to harsh climates.

It was also a land, where the cold was as likely to kill you as its citizens were.

Where the unprepared didn't last long, before they succumbed to the harsh weather. Where the weak were routed out, until the strong remained. A land where even the slightest-

"ACHOO!"

Speaking of the unprepared…

Twin Blonde pigtails blew in the wind, as Lissa sneezed for what seemed like the millionth time that day.

The Shepherds had been marching for a couple days now, and had encountered little in the ways of danger along the way. They had thanked Naga herself for that. And now, they were marching in the icy winds, surrounded by white as snow fell from the sky. They had donned the necessary clothing to keep themselves warm, such as furs, or heavy jackets.

Robin and Chrom were leading the Shepherds, taking point, with Naruto, Lissa, and Frederick in the middle. Stahl and Vaike were in the back, making sure no one snuck up on them. The Shepherds had split up, with Virion, Sully, Stahl, and Muriel staying behind at a camp they had set up about five miles ago, in case things went south, and had to message Ylisse's capital.

Lissa, on the other hand, was a different story.

She had not heeded the warning given to her by her elder brother.

Or the one given to her by Frederick.

Or Robin.

Or even Naruto.

No, she had chosen to remain in her normal attire, seemingly assured that it would protect her from the cold that Regna Ferox was famous for. After all, how cold could it be?

Well, you know the old saying "Freezing my ass off"?

Over in Ferox, that wasn't just an expression. In fact, it was only a saying at all because it was a literal occurrence in the realm. Someone literally froze their ass off, and now it seemed Lissa was about to suffer the same fate.

"F-F-Frederick! N-N-Naruto! A-Anyone! P-Please, I'm F-Freezing over h-h-here!"

She was met by blank stares from all who had warned her about the climate. Their answer was a collective "No."

Throwing up her hands, and trying to summon as many tears to her eyes as possible, Lissa put her hands as if in prayer and begged, "I know I should have listened to you guys! Please!" She pleaded.

Naruto, who wore his usual outfit with the addition of a heavy fur cloak, leaned in with interest, "Let me hear that again, you should have done what?" His intention was clear, as a shit-eating grin spread across his features.

Lissa didn't care at this point, "I should have listened to you guys about the weather! Okay!"  
All the Blond did was gesture to her, his hand going in a spinning motion, "Aaaand?"

Lissa sneezed again, shivering as she spoke, "And I should have worn warmer clothes."

Naruto leaned in closer, "Great!" His grin turned genuine, as he clapped his hands together, enjoying the look on the princess' face as she sat through the slight scolding. It didn't help that their little chat drew nearly everyone in the groups' attention, a fact that was not lost on the Shopkeeper.

Now it was time for the first part of this prank war to commence, just as was promised days before.

Once again, his grin grew devilish, as he looked upon her like a predator does prey, "Now, tell me about how much better of a prankster I am than you." Oh boy, did he love the look of shock and indignation on her face.

The Ylissian Royal stood straight up, her face red from the cold, as she looked him straight in the eye, "Never!"

A howling wind rushed by, carrying with it another burst of cold.

"Saaay iiiit."

"Never!"

Another cold wind.

"Saaaaay iiiiit"

"No!"

Naruto took a dramatic pose, sighing loudly, as he reached into his travel pack, pulling out a similar fur cloak to the one he was currently wearing.

Once again sighing, he began, "Oh, such a shame. I had another one of these COZY". He hugged it closer to himself, "COMFY". He looked at her, and uttered two more words, "WARM cloaks."

He could practically hear her will shattering like glass.

Lissa herself was looking conflicted. On one side, her pride as a prankster was on the line, and she knew that she would never live it down to the other Blond. On the other hand, she had the possibility of having her ass literally freezing off.

So it was either humiliation, or no ass.

She closed her eyes, her throat struggling to even mutter what she was about to say. She looked physically ill just trying to speak, heaving, and trying to force the words from her throat.

And then warmth.

She opened her eyes, hearing the sound of chuckling, as she was finally relieved of the piercing cold.

"…Meanie…"

Naruto had come closer, and had given her the cloak, without her having to…. Speak lies.

Lies!

But her new article of clothing wasn't the source of the heat she was feeling. No, it instead came from her fellow Blond, who had moved closer and had held her close, giving her the extra warmth she needed.

He looked down, still giving a small chuckle, "What, you thought I was actually going to be that much of a jerk?"

He was met with a blank stare similar to the one he had given her earlier.

"Yes."

The Amnesiac Blond just shrugged, "You're just mad." He looked to the others, "Right guys?"

He too was met with blank stares.

"Guys?"

The stares persisted.

"C'mon guys, you don't really think I'd do that, right?"

He could feel Lissa begin to smirk at his defeated look.

"Naga-Damnit."

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The Longfort.

The official border fortress between Ylisse and Regna Ferox.

Since the founding of both kingdoms, the Longfort has stood through both times of strife and peace alike, standing like an everlasting guardian between the two lands. It was tall, standing high above any company that sought to pass through, and in the middle was a giant gate, where travelers passed through.

The main parts of the Fort were built on top of the massive gate, where a garrison of soldiers would be stationed to manage it.

"It's rather impressive, isn't it?"

The Shepherds had finally reached the border fort between Ylisse and Regna Ferox, standing before it and marveling in its' structure.

Robin's words were very true, as the structure of the fort was both practical, and impressive in both terms of style and defensibility.

Chrom nodded, his eyes taking in the sight before him as he halted the rest of the company. "Aye, the Longfort. It stretches between the border of Ylisse and Ferox. It's stood for as long as anyone can remember, and even I've rarely seen it."

He turned, as both his sister and Naruto approached him, the Spellsword putting a hand on his shoulder. Both Blonds appeared confused, the male of the two cocking his head to the right.

"Hey Chrom, everybody's wondering why we've halted." Naruto's eyes shifted to the fort, scanning the top of it, "Shouldn't we be marching ahead? I mean, we did send a message ahead of us, right? At least the soldiers should be greeting us by now."

"Normally, yes." Started the Prince, "But the Khans that rule over Ferox have been kind of wary towards foreigners lately, I expect that they'd prefer to see me in person to confirm the message." He gestured towards the fort, "Don't mistake a lack of hospitality for open hostility."

Naruto removed a hand from his sword, relaxing a bit, "Alright, you're the Boss…" Naruto kept surveying his surroundings, just in case, "Just let me know if you need any help, negotiating is a skill I picked up in the Shop."

Chrom nodded, "Will do."

The Prince turned to the rest of the Shepherds, his voice raised so everyone could hear him, "Remember everyone, your actions here reflect back upon Ylisse!"

He received a collective nod from those under his command.

Once again, Chrom turned and addressed Naruto, "Do you mind doing some light reconnaissance? There may be a sinister reason why the troops haven't been seen on the Fort, Bandits maybe."

The Blond raised a hand in salute, before he rushed ahead, dashing a few feet in front of the others and proceeded to leap into the woods.

He stopped abruptly, only to jump onto a low-hanging branch. He kept jumping between the tree's branches, jumping to a higher one each time, before stopping about halfway up the tree.

The trees in Ferox were both taller and wider than their Ylissian counterparts by a rather large amount, the smallest one he had seen here had been the size of a matured one back in Ylisse.

Snapping out of his musings, Naruto resumed his mission, jumping from tree to tree, branch to branch, a familiar feeling overcoming him.

A grin formed on his face, as this overwhelming sense of freedom filled him. He felt so tall.

So light.

So absolutely free!

It felt right.

And yet….It also brought back a feeling of familiarity…..Of sadness…..Of home.

Why?

The Whiskered Shopkeeper shook his head, his grin now replaced with a thin line, as he continued to jump in between the treetops.

He finally stopped his movements, settling in a crouch, before he began to inch forward on his current branch, slowly peeking through the branch's pines. And what he saw made his eyes widen.

From his current position, he could easily see his friends and fellow Shepherds marching along the road, the snow howling in his ears. They seemed relaxed at the moment. And then he looked towards the Longfort. From the ground level he had been at with the Shepherds, he had only been able to see little atop the Fort itself, only being able to observe the top edge of its walls.

Now, from his current position, he could see past that.

Multiple guards were lined up against the edge of the Fort's walls, ducking just below the wall so anyone approaching the Longfort wouldn't be able to see them. Most of them were either Knights, or Myrmidons, but there were also Mages and a few common Soldiers scattered about. Few Archers could be seen, three at the most.

As the Shepherds approached, he could see the Knight's along the wall ready their spears, many of them wielding Javelins specifically made for throwing in their hands. A lone woman strode down towards the soldiers amassed on the Fort's walls, wearing dark green Knight's armor, her Blonde hair in a short cut to make it resemble a man's.

He caught few words that she said to her men.

"Travelers…..approaching….ready…Throw…..Command."

The Knight's readied their Javelins.

"Shit!"

Jumping from his current lodging, Naruto was sent flying forwards, towards his comrades. Unsheathing a knife he kept at his side, Naruto plunged it into a nearby tree, slowing his fall, the bark of the tree cracking loudly as the blade carved into it.

He was still approaching the ground at a rather fast pace, so he tucked his legs, landing in a roll before he began speeding towards Chrom and the others.

He watched as Chrom stepped forwards, seemingly speaking to the commander of the Fort.

He watched as the commander yelled back furiously.

And he watched as multiple Javelins were readied to be thrown towards his friends.

Straight towards Chrom.

And then Iron filled the sky.

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"Trouble my Lord! The Feroxi guard is mobilizing!"

Upon hearing these words escape from the Great Knight's lips, Chrom turned upon Frederick, his face portraying his bewilderment. "What! Why? We haven't done so much as point a finger at them!"

The Great Knight shook his head, "Who can say? But they look ready to let fly at any moment." He paused looking to the now upright Feroxi soldiers lining the fort's wall, "We'd best prepare for combat, just to be safe…."

Frederick trailed off, his thoughts lingering upon a topic the others had thought to be long discussed and done with. The topic of the Tactician his Lord had picked up, Robin. Yes, Frederick still had his mind on the subject, loath as he was to admit so.

However, Naruto's rather anger-filled tongue lashing had a rather large effect upon him. _"Sometimes, even I need a reminder of my own pride, even as a Knight of the order of Ylisse, I still have arrogance."_ He thought with a slight grimace.

He had thought that he was absolutely right in his judgement, that his decision was just and right, for his Lord's safety was to never be compromised. He never asked what others had thought about her, even when she had fought alongside them and remained by their side. Not once had he thought his decision was wrong.

But the words that the Lad had spoken to him, those blue eyes filled with incredulity and anger…

He just couldn't get them out of his head.

And so, Frederick slowly and begrudgingly walked away from his Lord Chrom, leaving their conversation ended, making his way towards the Snow-Haired Amnesiac of their group.

Robin looked up, as the Great Knight approached her with a look of slight bashfulness and reluctance.

He took a breath, as he began to voice his thoughts, "Loathe as I am to admit this…."

He took another gulp of air, seemingly struggling to get his words out of his throat.

"Robin, you might, and I mean JUST might, offer some valuable insight on this sort of manner. Do not misplace my trust."

He began to walk away to return to Chrom who was now ahead of everyone, preparing to talk with the Garrison's general, leaving behind a slightly confused Robin.

But before he did so, he turned his head, with a barely hearable voice, "And I'm sorry for before." He whispered.

The Tactician stood there for a few more moments, before a slight grin overtook her look of confusion. Soon, she also began her trek towards the leader of the Shepherds, intent on aiding the Blue-Haired prince of Ylisse.

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Speaking of a Blue-Haired prince, Chrom was utterly baffled as to why the soldiers of the Longfort were arming themselves against him and his company. Neither he, nor did any other in his group had displayed any sort of aggression.

So why?

Frederick had gone to talk with Robin, as he had wandered away in her direction, so he was currently facing the massive forts' walls alone.

His thoughts were interrupted, when a loud female voice cut through the sounds of snow-filled wind.

"HALT! Who goes there?!"

It was at times like these, Chrom was happy his elder sister had forced him to sit down and take his lessons on Nobility and foreign negotiation. He faced the walls, seeing a woman in green Knight Armor, her Blonde hair cut short like a man's.

"In the name of House Ylisse, I seek audience with the Khans!"

He ventured taking a step forward, but stopped when he saw the soldiers on the forts walls ready their spears.

"Not another step, my bold lad! I've Lancers at the ready!" The leader bristled, gesturing to her men.

Chrom adopted a blank face, _"I can see that….. Who wouldn't see numerous people wanting to poke you with sharp sticks?"_ he thought sarcastically.

He had noticed that his 'Guardian' had returned, the Great Knight arriving on his mount, Robin trailing not far behind.

And yet still no signs of Naruto.

Frederick spoke next, attempting to diffuse the situation, "Hold Milady! We are not your enemy!" He shouted towards the general, "Exalt Emmeryn herself sent us to discuss matters of mutual interest!"

He was met with a lance thrown at his feet, a warning. The leader of the Feroxi Guards pointed back at the Knight, "My only interest is to keep you out of Regna Ferox, Brigand!"

A flash of confusion overcame the three at this moment. "W-why? Brigand?" Robin questioned, looking between her two comrades.

The Border Guard continued her previous statement, "You think you're the first "Ylissians" to try and cross our border?" She scoffed at this, "I have the authority to slay such impostors where they stand!" She stated, pointing to the Shepherds.

By now, the entire Shepherd company had been drawn towards their leader by the sounds of arguing, only to find the Longforts walls filled with soldiers, all pointing their weapons at their Prince.

Frederick had stepped up, an uncharacteristic look of anger that contrasted greatly with his usually calm demeanor. "How dare you!" he seethed, "You are in the presence of Prince Chrom, the Exalt's own Blood!"

The Feroxi leader just laughed, as she put a thumb to herself, "Ha! Yes, indeed, and I'm the queen of Valm!" she replied mockingly. She kept her look of mocking as she leaned on one of the fort walls, "You do realize that impersonating royalty is a capital offense, yes?"

Noticing the stony looks of the entire Shepherd Company, she sighed, "Mmm…. Then perhaps we should settle this the Feroxi way…" She picked up her spear she had placed on her back, before pointing it at the group, "You claim to be of royal blood?! You claim to be the Prince of Ylisse?!" Her eyes narrowed, "Then prove it on the battlefield!"

Seeing the Feroxi's resolve, the Prince of Ylisse clenched his fists, _"Damn… Big Sis won't like this at all…"_ He extended his hand towards the fort, taking a few steps forward from his comrades, "Please, Good Lady! If you would just lis-"

Ylisse's Prince was cut short by the war cry of the Feroxi leader.

"I've heard enough talking!" She gestured to her soldiers.

"ATTACK!"

And the next thing Chrom knew, the Feroxi soldiers launched their lances towards the Prince.

The beating of wings was heard.

The whistling of Lances was heard as well.

Which would be faster?

Chrom let out a yelp, as he was forcibly removed from the ground, taken up into the air by a Pegasus he had never seen before.

Or so he thought, until he saw its rider.

"Sumia?!"

He was surprised, but happy he didn't die as a giant iron-filled pincushion.

Gotta love the little things in life.

Sumia herself just smiled, "Captain…"

Chrom once again yelped in surprise as Sumia shoved his head down, "Duck!" She managed to get him down in time for a Javelin to sail through the space his head had previously occupied.

Chrom looked at her once he was released.

"Not such klutzs now, are you?" He questioned.

The Brunette gave her Pegasus to pat on the head, ignoring the multiple javelins sailing past them. After all, she finally had some time alone with her Captain! "I don't know… But when I'm up here… It all just feels so right."

It was Chrom's turn to make her duck, another pointy iron stick of death going past them.

They both rose, only to find another Javelin heading straight towards them, giving them no time to react.

Closer.

Closer.

Suddenly, a Bronze Sword collided with it, sending both weapons away from the duo, spiraling back down to the earth.

Chrom searched for the source of the sword, only to find a certain Amnesiac Blond giving him a thumbs up. "….That Blond Dastard…" He grinned before shouting down, "Can't you ever just show up without anyone's life in danger?!"

The response was, "Not as dramatic!"

Chrom turned to Sumia, "Let's regroup with the others."

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"Naga-Damn that was close…"  
Naruto exhaled for the third time, holding his hand above his heart. His face fell sharply, before he unsheathed his new Iron Sword, "Now I'm down a blade…" He grumbled, as he watched the remains of his Bronze Sword fall to earth after he had blocked the Javelin.

He ran to the other Shepherds, just as Chrom and Sumia landed.

All of their attention was brought to the Longfort as Robin's voice cut through, "Chrom, they're coming!"

The Tactician was right, as multiple Feroxi guards had already opened and passed through the forts front gate.

Now was the time for combat!

"Alright…" Chrom started, "The Feroxi way it is!"

He addressed his company, "Remember! No killing them! That'll throw any attempts at negotiation!"

"ROGER!"

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No killing?

Simple enough.

"Rah!"

Naruto slashed clean through a Feroxi Knight's spear, cutting it through the middle, before spinning behind his opponent and hitting the back of their neck with the swords hilt, rendering them unconscious.

He ducked under another spear, and then jumped to avoid the enemy Myrmidon from slicing off his head, working with the Knight who he had just avoided.

"Two against one, eh?"

He gave a taunting smirk, before gripping a green tome in his free left hand, and pointed a finger at their feet, " **Wind!** "

Dust flew through the air, as a blade of wind erupted from the Blond's outstretched finger, and struck against the ground, kicking up dirt and dust. His two opponents momentarily blinded and coughing, didn't notice him until it was too late.

*Clang*

The two slumped to the ground, the result of their Shop keeping Adversary banging their helmet-clad noggins together.

He looked around, only to see no more opponents in his immediate area, while his comrades were all in small skirmishes of their own.

He saw that Chrom had stuck to fighting with Sumia, while Robin was currently with Lissa and Vaike… Vaike was being Vaike while Frederick tried to keep him under control.

He looked down, kicking up dirt, "How come I have to fight alone…"

Speaking of which, why was everyone only fighting in pairs of two, wouldn't three or four work much better?

He decided to forgo such thoughts, only to see an unusual sight.

The Blond looked around, seeing if any of his comrades or even his enemies could also see "it".

Naruto took everyone's ignorance as a no.

And a Pranksters Grin formed on his face.

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Chrom had been very successful in his fighting.

A knight came up, and was soon asleep from a casual swing of Falchion.

He blocked an incoming arrow from an Archer, giving Sumia the opportunity to take him down.

He noticed that Robin and Lissa had taken it upon themselves to do some damage from the back, Robin using her magic to weaken the Feroxi Guard, giving the rest of the Shepherds the chance to "help" them into dreamland.

Lissa was healing whatever minor injuries the Shepherds got, Robin also guarding her as she did so.

Vaike…..was once again being Vaike and doing Vaike-like things with Frederick backing him up.

Then.

Then he saw Naruto.

His eyes widened as he saw an indescribable sight.

The Blond tore through a line of Knights, breaking their defenses, before also taking them out of the battle. He spun on his heels, before blocking an incoming strike from Warrior.

His blade did not move, and yet the Warrior was knocked unconscious.

A spear was launched at his head, but he just stood there and watched it. The Blond Amnesiac smirked before the Lance was simply deflected by an unknown force, Naruto still wearing his triumphant smirk.

"What in the name of the Divine Dragon…?" was all Chrom managed to get out.

The enemy soldiers reacted more energetically.

"What is he?!"  
"He isn't even flinching!"

The Blond just calmly walked forwards towards them, and stopped just a few inches short.

"Boo."

The Feroxi soldiers "retreated" further into the fort.

With the advance guard dealt with, Chrom entered the Longfort to meet his Blond comrade. "Naruto…. What was that? How did you do those things? All by you even, deflecting weapons with an invisible force, what happened?!" He questioned.

Chrom watched as a look of smugness and knowing overtook Naruto's features, an innocent look on his face, "What do you mean, Captain?"  
Okay, now something was up.

Naruto never called him Captain.

The Shopkeeper continued, "I wasn't by myself, and I certainly never used any "Invisible Force", what do you mean by all that Captain?"

Chrom was baffled, "Wha...Huh…. How…"

Naruto's grin grew three sizes, as a simple, single word was what he answered Chrom with.

"Kellam."

Hearing the clanking of heavy armor close in his ear, Chrom jumped and turned, only to see the orange Knight in question.

"Hello" Kellam waved to his leader.

Holding a hand right above his heart, the Prince of Ylisse let out a breath of relief, "By my Blood Kellam! I didn't see you there!"

Naruto pointed a finger at the Feroxi soldiers he and Kellam had rendered unconscious, "Yeah, and neither did they." The grin that he held on his face didn't falter for a single second.

So that explained everything.

The display of mirth was interrupted, as Vaike ran past them and deeper into the Longfort, "Less Chit-Chat, more Swing-Slash!"

Vaike lived up to this statement, kicking away another Feroxi's shield before smashing the butt of his axe into their helm, watching as the Feroxi slumped onto the ground.

"Fine, fine." Naruto followed Vaike, quickly returning to the fray.

Chrom met again with Sumia, and they followed as well.

"They forgot I was here again." Kellam stated, before he started jogging in after the others.

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The interior…. Or rather the outside that was inside the first initial gate was impressive to say the least. It matched the architectural greatness of the outside.

Birds chirped.

Winds blew.

Sparks formed as blades clashed.

Robin sidestepped as an arrow went flying past her, as it gave her a Knick, a small trail of blood forming on her arm. She pointed her yellow tome at the Feroxi, " **Thunder!** " She yelled in retaliation to the attack.

The Archer was struck right in his chest, falling to the floor as his body spasmed due to the electricity going through his body, soon falling unconscious.

"Robin, your arm."

The Amnesiac turned, seeing Lissa holding her arm, before chanting a few words under her breath and holding up her staff. The Tactician looked on as her flesh knitted back together, the blood receding back inside of her wound, before it completely disappeared.

"Thank you, Lissa."

The Spritely Cleric giggled, before giving a curtsey, "Don't mention it!"

She watched as Chrom took down another one of the Feroxi Knights, leaving only the leader herself and four other warriors.

"Don't give in men! This is for Regna Ferox and its pride!" the Leader shouted at her men.

"Roger, Captain Raimi!"  
Two of them broke off from the formation, charging towards Robin, while the other two engaged Vaike and Chrom.

The two that charged Robin were both Fighters, and as the first reached her, he swung downwards which she dodged and rolled under his feet, slashing his back with her Bronze Sword.

But what about the second one?

Robin's eyes widened, as the other Feroxi charged towards Lissa.

"RAAAAHHHH!"

The Feroxi barreled towards the Cleric, intent on finishing her.

Lissa watched as the man barreled towards her. She watched as he raised his axe. She watched as he…. Faltered?

True to her vision, the Fighter's face scrunched up in pain as a knife impaled his right hand, causing him to abruptly drop his weapon.

It didn't matter, he would ju-

*Bonk*

Lissa beat him to the punch, as she clubbed him on the head with her staff. She eyed the unconscious Feroxi, before looking back to Robin.

"I told you and Brother, I'm not delicate."

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Wiping the bead of sweat from his brow, Naruto once again breathed a sigh of relief as he saw his throwing knife cause the Fighter to drop his weapon.

He was slightly surprised when the so called 'Delicate Princess' just beaned the man on the head, a solid blow that rendered him asleep.

Good on her.

He grumbled a bit, realizing that he lost another weapon.

Now it was just him and the so called Feroxi Leader, Raimi he believed her men had said.

Raimi herself didn't give any signs that she was going to give up, only clenching her spear tighter and gnashing her teeth, "Come at me! I heard what you did to my men, but that doesn't scare me!"

The Whiskered Blond pointed to her, "You might want to look behind you."  
"Don't try to trick me now! I know that there isn't anybody there! No one but my men have come this far, I've seen it!"

Naruto sighed, "Fine, but just so you know, I didn't do anything to block all those weapons. It wasn't an invisible force." He once again pointed behind her, his usual smile on his face, "It was him."

Raimi's face turned to confusion, "What are you ta-"

*CLANG*

The Feroxi Leader slumped to the ground, as Kellam slammed his shield onto the back of her head.

He looked up, surprising all those around, "Uh, hi everyone."

Naruto gave him a thumbs up, "Great job Kellam, the plan worked perfectly!"

Naruto walked up to the Knight, clapping him on his armored shoulder, before nudging Raimi's arm with his foot.

"A tad bit anti-climactic though."

Kellam looked to the seemingly only other person who always seemed to notice him, "You really think so?"

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"Oi"

Groans.

"Oooiiii"

Eyes fluttered.

"OOOIIIII!"

Her ears could hear only that voice.

"Naga-Damn, I think you hit her a little too hard Kellam."

A second voice, "You told me to though."

The first voice again, "True enough."

Raimi's eyes slowly opened, as she saw Blond hair and fingers snapping in her face.

"Oi, you awake now? You okay?"

Wait…. Her men were watching as usual… And then those people…

THOSE PEOPLE!

Raimi's eyes snapped open, as she sat upright, her armor not upon her as she looked around, bewildered.

She saw the Whiskered Blond from earlier light up in a smile, "You really are okay!" He turned to the door, "Chrom! She's awake!"

She studied her surroundings.

It seems that they had taken her inside, and laid her in the soldiers' garrison.

And she was still alive…..

So they were telling the truth.

The leader, now proven to be Chrom of House Ylisse walked into the room, giving her a light smile, and approached. "First thing first, your men are all safe. And sorry about all that earlier, but…"

Raimi immediately bowed her head, cutting him off, "A thousand apologies Prince Chrom!" Her eyes were shut, "I truly took you for Brigand impostors…"  
"But no frauds could ever hope to wage a battle just as you have, nor would they have let me live."

The Feroxi Leader lifted her head, before she got to her feet, despite both Chrom and Naruto's protests.

"I will send word of your arrival to the Capital and escort you there personally."

Chrom nodded, "That would be most appreciated, thank you." He then put a hand on her shoulder, "But are you absolutely sure you are alright? You did get hit by Kellam's shield full force."

Raimi waved him off, "I'll be fine, us here in Ferox are made of tougher stuff." She walked towards the exit of her room, "I will need some time to help regroup my men and prepare for my departure." She turned her head, "Oh, and you might want your Blond friend to be with you when you meet the Khans. They'll like him."

She received a nod, and left.

Naruto whistled, as Raimi finally exited "Well, her whole demeanor changed."

Chrom laughed a little at his words, "In Ferox, strength speaks louder than words." He let his head hang, "And here I thought all those Foreign Nobility lessons I had to sit through were going to pay off."

The Whiskered Blond nodded, "It does seem like we overestimated the value of diplomacy here…"

Their musings were cut short, as two tails of Blonde emerged from the now open door, revealing the Shepherds Cleric in the doorway, "Big Brother, the others are ready to leave when you are."

Chrom began to walk towards the door, gesturing for his Shopkeeper companion to follow him, "We'll leave once Raimi is done with her preparations." He left the room, revealing that more snow was falling at a rapid pace, "After all, it's not like it's getting any warmer…"

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 _ **AN:**_

 _Hello again everyone…_

 _Yeah, not much to say about this chapter. It was shorter than my other chapters, around 6,000 words or so, compared to the other chapters that are usually around 7,500-10,000 or more._

 _Don't worry; the chapters will not get any shorter than this._

 _Its official, Naruto, Chrom and the rest of the gang are now inside Regna Ferox and will finally meet up with the Khans._

 _Time to address something a tad more serious…._

 _Some shits been happening in my life, and I won't go into detail, but it's affecting me negatively. We're all human, we all have problems, and eventually I'll get over this one._

 _As I have stated before, I am losing my will to write, as explained by the huge ass wait from the last chapter to this one._

 _It is not as fun as it was when I first started, I enjoyed doing it, but now…. Now not so much._

 _I've lost my drive, and I'm going to do my damn best to find it again, because I am not going to abandon this Story._

 _However, I will ask all of you this:_

 _Which two of all my stories would you all prefer me to focus on?_

 _Out of all of my fics, which two would you prefer to see the most updated?_

 _I'm considering rewriting my current DxD fic, as the early chapters…. How do I say it…? Suck tons of ass…. And shit… It only got good at about chapter five. I fucked up on a way to give Naruto his powers back that I that was clever and cool and then I realized that it was kind of… Really stupid._

 _So in the new version, If I make one, will have him full-powered from the start, and would probably be different after the first chapter._

 _So again, to reiterate, which two of my fics do you, the fans, wish to see updated more, as they will become the focus of my writing._

 _Except for my Gamer Naruto Story A Glitched Gamer. That's just a story that I only work on when I have nothing better else to do, and I am waiting to get adopted. I update it very little, as I have no future plans for it._

 _So with all that depressing shit behind us, I bid you all ado!_

 _This is Thewackness135, signing off._


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